Becoming Dallas Winston
by Johnny Cade's little sister
Summary: After learning that the State is going to take him away,Pony runs to the only place where the State can't get him. Running from his past and the recent death of Johnny and Dallas he finds that he is becoming Dallas himself.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Darry's POV

_"I'm sorry Darrel, but the State doesn't believe you are capable of caring for Ponyboy any longer. Sodapop may stay in your custody since he is 17, but Ponyboy will be taken into foster care in one week. I am very sorry." And with that our Social Worker leaves._

_ I turn to look at Pony and Soda. Soda has his arm over Ponyboy's shoulders and Pony looks like he can't believe what's happening. Soda is saying reassuring things in his ear as Pony starts to cry quietly. _

_ "Pony, I am so sorry, kiddo. We'll fight this ok. Don't give up on me yet." I say rubbing my hands up and down his arms like Dad use to when we were upset. He just looks at me and sighs. "Why are we the ones who always draw the short straw, Dare? This ain't fair." He asks me tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't know, little buddy. I just don't know….."_

Rinnnnng! Rinnnnng! I wake up to the sound of the alarm and roll onto my back, thinking of my dream. It's been almost 2 years since then and I still remember it clear as day. The day the social worker told us that I couldn't keep Pony anymore still haunted my dreams. But was even more worried me is that Pony did not go to a home. He ran away the night he was going to leave. All he left was a note. He didn't tell us where he was going and that it didn't matter. He said that I could have my life back and go to college and that Soda could go back to school. I would rather be roofing houses all my life and have Pony here than sitting in a pile of money without him.

I never did go back to college but I got promoted to full-time at the warehouse so I could quit my other job. The boss really liked me and gave me the job as floor manager. It paid go money and I got more vacation and sick days form it to. Soda didn't go back to school but he also got a raise at work. He was happy there, but he still missed Ponyboy. I know the feeling.

I got out of bed, took a shower, shaved, and got dressed. I had to wake Soda up since he had the day off and would not get up until 3 unless someone woke him. "Soda, get up. You said you would clean the house today." I shake him and he groaned. "Uhh, go away, Darry. I'm sleeping." He groaned. I rolled my eyes and decided to do this the fun way. I went to the kitchen and filled a glass of water. I went back to Soda's room and poured it on him. "Darry! Uhh, you are so mean!" he says and gets up to go take a shower.

I go back to the kitchen and start breakfast. I absentmindedly look at the calendar to see that the date is May 27. Ponyboy's birthday. I look down and sigh. It's been 22 months since he left. I can't believe I forgot his birthday.

**Alright, that's Chapter 1. What do you think? Should I continue? Please review and tell me. If you don't I will track you down like animals.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews, even NOADS. You're pretty funny. I'll continue. To answer NOADS question, the reason the state didn't take Soda away is because he was going to turn 18 in a month so it was a lost cause. **

Chapter 2

Pony's POV.

_"I just don't know…"_

I jerked awake and my eyes popped open. I shut my eyes back and opened them again to see Alex wrapped around my chest and legs. I smiled and thought about my dream. It's been about 2 years, why the hell am I still dreaming about that day? I need to get up; Blade will kill me for sleeping with Alex in his Uncle's house. At least we had a place to sleep tonight. Yesterday we had to sleep in Central Park. That place is crawling with homeless drunks. Alex moaned in her sleep and tightened her grip on my t-shirt. I liked sleeping with Alex even though we never had sex; it was still nice to have a warm body to hold during the cold nights of New York.

"Umm, Runner?" Alex murmurs drowsily. I smile and kiss her temple.

"Yeah babe?" I ask kissing her cheek this time.

"I think we need to get up before Blade or Uncle Benny comes in here. I don't want a repeat of last time. You still have that scar on your arm." She says starting to get up.

"Uhh, but I don't wanna." I whine pulling her close to me. Alex yawns and hugs my chest. She kisses my bicep and sits up again.

"Nether, do I. But we have to. Come on get up, we need to meet Blade and Rich over by the pawn shop." She gets out of the bed and pulls on her shirt over her bra. I said we never had sex but that does not mean I didn't get to see her half naked. She pulled on her only pair of jeans and jacket. I was still on the bed. She gave me that sexy smile of hers and crawled on the bed pining my hands down on the bed and started a line of kisses from my jugular to my temple.

"Get" kiss "Up" kiss "Now" kiss she growled. I love Alex. I know I'm only 16 but I think this is what love is suppose to feel like. Being able to have such a compassion for a person that you could be their only person in the world and they would be ok with that. I love Alex so much to the point that I would die for her. And I almost have.

Last spring me, Alex, Blade, and Isaac were down at the bar that we hustle pool at once a month and when Blade and me started to collect our money from the guy that we hustled from when the guy pulls a gun on us. Blade and me admittedly block Alex from the man and his gun.

"Oh, ho, ho! You guys like this bitch huh?" he grins and pistol whips Blade in the face knocking him out cold. I let my guard down when I saw him go down as he dragged Alex out the bar into the ally. What brought me back form Blade's side was hearing her scream

"Ponyboy! Help!" I ran outside and found the guy holding the gun to her head. She was trying to squirm from his hold and rum but he was stronger than her, and Alex was a little drunk from the 4 beers she had earlier.

I pulled my blade out and went wild. I guess he didn't think I would try to take him because he didn't react in time to shoot Alex. I tackled him and he pulled the trigger and shot me in the shoulder. I don't remember a lot after that. The only thing I recall is Alex pressing her jacket against my shoulder, Blade slinging me across his shoulder, moving on a metal table, and Alex crying her eyes out. The next thing I remember clearly is laying in Blade's Uncle's house on Alex and my bed. Alex was sleeping in the chair from the kitchen next to me. I realize she is holding my hand so I pick our hands up and I kiss hers. Alex stirred and opened her eyes. When she sees me awake she sits up and pushes my hair back then kisses my forehead.

"Hey" she says softly.

"Hi" I say just as softly.

"I swear if you ever put me thru something like that again, I'll kill myself." She says with the most serious face I have ever seen on her angle face. Her dark hair falls on my chest as she leans closer to me. I look into her gray-blue eyes and see tears welling up in them. I guess I really scared him.

"Why the hell did you charge that guy? He could have killed you. Were you that drunk? Or were you just being stupid?" she asks.

"Because, I couldn't live thru what would have happened if I wouldn't have charge him." I said pressing her hand onto my chest letting her feel my heartbeat. She starts to cry quietly and I scoot over to my side on the bed so she could lay next to me. She layed next to me being mindful of my bandages. Alex wrapped her arm around me and layed her head on my good shoulder. I knew at that moment that Alex was my girl, now and forever.

"What are you thinking of?" she asks as we walk down Johnson St. holding hands.

"Just, things. I had the dream of the week I ran away."

Alex and Blade were the only ones who knew my story. About Johnny, Dallas, my parents, and my brothers. I only trust them with that knowledge. Me and Blade are as close as brothers. Only our relationship is different. It reminds me of Dally and Tim Shepard. We beat on each other every other week and hung out every day. Blade was the one who found me. A week after I left Tulsa I made it to New York and was eating from the dumpsters. He told me to follow him if I wanted a meal, so I did. He took me to Benny's and we ate week old chips. It was stale food, but food none the less. We sometimes bunk at Benny's or at the city shelter. Sometimes we had to sleep at the Central Park like yesterday. But that was a last result.

"You could call them, it would do them good if you let him know that you are alive." She said. Alex was always trying to get me to reconnect with the gang and my brothers. I would like to but I knew there was a time difference, but Alex said that was a stupid excuse. I had to silently agree with her. But I didn't want them to try to ruin their lives with me being a bother. Man do I miss them.

"You know what I just realized? Today is my birthday." I said trying to change the subject.

"It is?" she asked buying into the subject changing.

"Yeah, today is the 27 of May." I replied

"Oh, crap! Sorry should have... Never mind, I have an idea. We are going to the bar, getting drunk out of our minds, then going up to Benny's house to spend the rest of the day in drunkenness bliss. Forget my brother and Rich. We deserve a day to ourselves." Before I can protest she grabs my shelve and leads me into the bar for a day in drunkenness bliss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, how you doing? I really appreciate the reviews and the support you give me. So much so that I have made up a song for you guys, oh crap! I left the lyrics in my other pants. Oh well on with the story!**

Chapter 3

Soda's POV

After cleaning my room and the living room I went to the kitchen to get a snack. I found a half-eaten piece of what looked like a chicken leg. I shrugged and bit of a piece I looked around and inspected the mess me and the gang made. I should start with the frosting stain on the floor. Thanks Steve. As I looked around I spotted the date on the calendar. May 27, today was Ponyboy's birthday. Me and Darry had both forgotten. I sighed and looked at the ground. After he left I went into a depression and couldn't go a day without blaming myself for him leaving. I should have heard him sneak out the window, I should have sensed him get on that train and leave. Darry has always told me that it was never my fault. It took a long time to believe him, but I do now, sort of.

I looked at the calendar again when the phone rang. I groaned then looked at the clock, 11:39. Crap, I need to clean up before Darry gets home for lunch. I went to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" I say into the speaker.

"Soda, hey, guess what the boss just told me?" Darry tells me in a very excited tone.

"I don't know, what did he say?" I ask him not in the mode for guessing games.

"I get to go on a business trip to New York and you get to come with!" he practically yells into the phone. Now I know why he is so happy, it's been years sense we had a vacation, and if Darry got paid for it, well that's just gravy.

"Wow, when do we leave?" I ask him.

"Next Thursday, you need to tell your boss tomorrow and get your bags packed. I need to go, get the house cleaned up, Pepsi-Cola, talk to you later."

"Yeah, see ya, Dare." I say and hang up. Wow, New York. I guess that should be fun.

Pony's POV

Me and Alex were on our 3rd beers and she was already a little drunk. When Alex gets drunk she reminds me a lot of Two-Bit, she laughs at everything and makes no sense at all.

"Heeey, Run, I mean, Pon, you!" she slurs and yells at me even though I'm only 5 feet away.

"What, Alex. What you want?" I slur back at her as I stumble to her taking her hands in mine.

"You know what we need to do?" she drunkenly says to me leaning close to me.

"Wh... What do we need to do?" I say excitedly to her. I really don't know what was so exciting at the time, but it seemed important.

"We need to go get a dog from the homeless dog place." She slurs and nearly falls out of the bar stool she's sitting in. The barman rolls his eyes at us and I glare at him. The barman's name is Tommy and the only reason he lets kids drink is because our gang knows that he takes wallets from the passed out drunks and our gang protects him when they come back ready to pound his face in. Taking care of Tommy is the reason I have half the scars on my face. Me, Blade, Isaac and Paulie are his body guards on the weekends since that's when the worst of the goons come back to get their money and we're the best fighters.

"Do you mean the dog pound?" I laugh at her.

"Yeah that place, we need a dog really bad." She says in her drunk serious voice putting her hands on my arms.

"Alex, th… this may sound like a good idea now but let's wait until Thursday to get one, ok?" I tell her knowing that she would forget in 15 minutes anyway.

"Alright, baby, I can wait." She tells me. Then Alex grabs my hands and leads me over to the staircase and up into the bedroom where me and the guys use sometimes after our shift and want to sleep. Alex leads me to the bed and I get what's going on. I pick her up and place her on the bed, she lies down and I pounce on her as I start to kiss her passionately. She puts her hands on my face so I can kiss her harder. I do and she stats to laugh. I break he kiss and look at her.

"What's so funny?" I ask her

"It's not what's ha-ha funny it's just that…nothing never mind."

"No, tell me, baby." I tell her. I always want to know what's on her mind.

"I just don't know what I did to get a guy like you." She says and pulls my lips to hers and starts the kiss again. I was just thinking the same thing. We stay like that for a few minutes just kissing each other and holding onto each other as if our lives depended on it. Then we heard a loud bang and we jumped apart. I heard people yelling and shouting at each other.

I look at her and tell her to stay here. I crept out of the bedroom and looked over the ledge of the staircase to see three cops holding guns and a warrant yelling that some idiot had hidden 7killos of Coke somewhere on the bar. The bang we heard was the cops busting down the door.

"There is no Coke in my bar!" Tommy yells at the cop throwing his fists up in the air.

"We have evidence that you do! So shut your trap if you know what's good for you!" shouts the tall red head cop shoving Tommy out of the way making his way across the bar and throwing bottles of the Jack Daniels on the floor and shattering bottles of vodka on the tables. Alex crawls next me and frowns then mouths "What's going on?" I shrug my shoulders and lead her to the bedroom.

"What are going to do, Pony? The cops are bound to come up here any minute!" she whispers to me as I get the gun from the dresser and 60 dollars.

"I'm thinking. Block the door Alex." I tell her trying to figure out what to do. The only way out is thru the front door and the back, but if go out that way the cops will see us. I cannot get arrested again, the cops warned me that next time its prison not jail. I've been caught in too many fights, robberies, and muggings. Alex can't be taken in; I won't let the cops do it. I know what freaks like to do to the kids there. Just as Alex starts to block the door the damn redhead cop breaks it down pointing the gun at me.

"Put down the gun, kid!" he says calmly.

I point the gun at him then I look at Alex and she has her poker face on, she stares back at me and nods. "Alex go down stairs, I'll take of this." I tell her my voice steady.

"No way, I'm not leaving…"

"Damn it Alexandra, go down stairs and slip thru the back door!" I yell at her using her real name. I never say her real name unless I'm anger with her. She glares at me and then walks up to me kissing me.

"I love you." She whispers in my ear, and leaves the room.

The cop looks at her then me. He nods at her to go. "Alright kid now it's just you and me…." Then there's another bang then sounds of screams and clomping. Me and the cop run over to the ledge to find Alex at the bottom of the stairs laying in a pool of her own blood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews; I think that is story is my favorite one to write.**

Chapter 4

Two-Bit's POV

"Two-Bit! Get out of the bathroom, I need to get ready for work!" I wake to the sound of my ma banging on the bathroom door.

"I'll be out in a minute."I shout at her aggravated that she woke me up. I had been having a few beers with Tim Shepard, but what he said what would be a few beers turned out to be about 9 each. I guess that I fell asleep here last night after I started puking out my guts. I shakily get up and look in the mirror. I look like a bum; my hair is sticking up in every direction, there's vomit on my shirt that hasn't dried yet that is gross, the only color present in my face is chalky white. I grab a washcloth, wet it under the sink, and wipe my face off. That does very little to make me look sober, oh well screw it, ma's seen me drunk before. I sighed in defeat and opened the door and to my surprise ma didn't even look at me, she just hurried into the room and started putting on her make-up. I slipped out of the door before she could notice me. I changed out of my shirt and put on a somewhat clean one. I looked out the door of my bedroom to see is mom was able to see me, nope, all clear. I bolted out of the house and started for the Curtis's house. I walked into the door to see Soda cleaning the living room.

"I'm Home!" I yell so that my voice can be heard thru the house.

"Two-Bit, you realize that you don't really live here right?" he asks me rolling his eyes.

"I don't? Weird I thought I did." I say walking into the kitchen looking for some breakfast. There was nothing in the frig or the pantry. "Hey, how come there's no food in here!?" I ask him sticking my head out the door to see Soda pulling out the couch cushions and picking up a half eaten piece of pizza from it, that's gross.

"Two-Bit you and Steve are the reasons we have no food." He laughs at me throwing the pizza into the garbage bag.

"You know what?" he asks me with his serious face on.

"No, what do I know?" I ask him settling for a piece of a banana.

"Me and Darry are going to New York for a business trip next Thursday." I turn around to look at him.

"Really? That's cool just leaving me with Steve for Lord knows how long while you and Darry are in New York watching the Giants win the world series." I sigh looking at him like I really mean what I'm saying.

He laughs again at me. "Oh, shut up Two-Bit. Say, would you mind watching the house for us when were gone?"

"Sure, I need something to do now that I got fired. Just because I was driving the carts into the isles." I exclaim. Last year I was forced to graduate and now I get fired for knocking into the customers at the Piggly-Wiggly.

"Great, thanks Two-Bit. Hey, you know what day it is?" he asks with a sad smile on his face.

I look at the calendar and find the date. May 27, man today Pony turns 16. "It's the 27, man I miss him. I always wanted to make sure that I was the one who would get him drunk on his sweet 16." I sigh; I was really looking forward to that. Oh well, I guess that he's having his sweet 16 with his other buddies now.

Pony's POV

I raced down the staircase to Alex and hold her limp form in my arms. I felt for a pulse on her neck, but there's nothing there. I look at her face and her eyes are staring blankly up at the ceiling. I started to shake as I put my fingertips on her eyelids and gently close them. Only me, the 3 cops, and Alex are still in the bar, I guess that everyone else ran out when they saw Alex's body on the floor not wanting to get involved in all this. I'm still shaking, but now I can't stop. I bury my face in her shoulder holding her there for what seemed like forever. Then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. It's the redheaded cop that busted down the door.

"Come on son, you need to get out of here. The EMT's will be here soon, they'll take the body." He says trying to be comforting. I just glare at him tightening my grip on Alex's shirt not letting her go.

"Son, I need you to let go of her. Do you know who she is so I can contact her family?"He asks me. I start to loosen my grip on her and let Alex's body sink into my lap. I look at the other two cops just standing there staring at me, to hell with them, I don't care anymore. I've just lost everything, my best friend, girlfriend, partner in crime, and my life. They didn't deserve to know who Alexandria Maria Montonille was, they didn't deserve to hear her sweet voice in the middle of the night when you wake from a nightmare comforting you, they didn't deserve to touch her beautiful dark brown hair or her tan skin or stare into her deep brown eyes, and neither did I.

Screw the cops; I thought picking up the dead girl I loved and walking out the door. I carried Alex to Benny's house. Walking up the apartment steps to get to the 3 floor with Alex in my arms didn't faze me, stepping into the empty apartment didn't bother me, when I layed Alex down on our bed and looking at her beautiful face is what got me. I started to cry for the first time in 2 years. No matter how hard I tried to stop I couldn't, sobs racked deep in my chest refusing to stop. I haven't cried in so long I have forgotten how to stop the flow of tears form my eyes.

I heard Blade, Rich, and Paulie coming thru the door. I sighed no longer caring what Blade will do to me when he sees his sister lying lifeless in our room, I had nothing left to care about anyway, Alex was gone. She was the only reason for me to live, because she was the last person worth holding onto.

"Alex! Runner! Get your asses in the kitchen, I need to talk to you!" Blade shouts. I kiss Alex on the forehead and walk out of the room finding my friends in the kitchen laughing and joking and pushing each other off the counter. At first when Blade sees me he smiles then he frowns looking at my face then my shirt covered in Alex's blood.

"Pony, what the hell happened to your shirt and where's Alex? You guys where suppose to meet us at the pawn shop three hours ago." He asks me not taking his eyes off my bloody shirt.

"We went to the bar, and then the cops showed up." I started telling him my voice expressionless. "Alex went down the stairs to leave when the cop gave her the ok, but the damn cops shot her. She's dead, her body is in the bedroom. I'm so sorry, Blade." I finish looking into his eyes. For the first time since I've known him Blade started to cry, except his tears were not as loud as mine. He went into the bedroom and I just looked at Rich and Paulie. Rich looked ready to cry, and Paulie was sobbing quietly.

"So, that's it? Alex is just dead?" Rich asks me. A million thoughts are racing thru my head and I couldn't take it any longer, I ran out of the apartment. Crying the whole time I guess I missed a step and fell down two flights of stairs losing consciousness.

**Hoped you liked it, sorry for the long up-date. I also have to inform you that I have a terrible dieses that the only thing that cures it is reviews. Help me fight this horrible illness!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long update guys. Here's Chapter 5!**

Chapter 5

Ponyboy's POV

"_Shit….blood….Blade Richie…..where's Benny…."_

"_He's looking pretty pale……hospital?"_

"_Don't have…..Alex's body….he feels kinda warm"_

"_5 days….funeral was yesterday…..rumble planned….."_

I groan at my violent headache, I rub my head and feel the bandages covering my forehead. I open my eyes and see that I'm in mine and Alex's...no just my room. Isaac is in the room sleeping in the chair curled up snoring like no other. I look at the sheets on the bed. The blood stains are gone; there are new sheets on here now. I guess that Benny changed them after he got here. Where's Alex's body? What happened?

"Hey, Eyes, wake up will ya?" I say pushing his knee against the chair. He wakes with a start falling out of the chair. I laugh weakly at him as he pushes himself up and looks at me. He smiles at me and claps me on the leg.

"Hey, Sunshine, how you feeling, kid?" he asks me sitting on the bed.

"Like I got hit by a truck, what the hell happened?" I ask him annoyed at his cheery tone.

"You fell down the stairs giving yourself a concussion and busting your head open, dummy; I thought we taught you how to walk those hard steps when we got you." He teases me ruffling my hair. I smack his hand away and roll my eyes. I try to remember what had happened after that but I can't.

"How did I get here? How long have I been out?" I ask him sitting up.

"After you ran out me and Rich thought that you needed some time alone, but after we heard a big bag we went outside to the stairs and saw you laying there knocked out bleeding. We called Blade and he carried you in. We called Benny home and he had to give you stitches. You've been out for about six days. Alex's funeral was two days ago, I know that you would have wanted to be there man but you where real sick. We called a rumble with the Assassins, they were the ones who got Alex shot, they hid the Coke in the bathroom ceiling tiles then one of their gang got cold feet and snitched to the cops. The rumble is Thursday; today is Tuesday you got hurt on Wednesday, do you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Hey do me a favor and get me a aspirin, will ya?" I ask him rubbing my head. This headache is like the ones I got after I got my first concussion during the rumble over Bob Sheldon's death.

"Sure, I better get Blade in here too, he wanted to talk to you." He says leaving the room. I groan, I do not want to talk to Blade. I love the guy and all, but he is an Italian and he talks a lot even for being Italian. Plus I knew what he wanted to talk about anyway.

Isaac didn't come back with the aspirin, Blade did. He gave me a glass of water and 3 pills. I gulped down the pills and the water.

"Thank you." I tell him putting the glass on the dresser.

"No problem. Look I wanted to talk to you, that's not too much to ask. Just let me tell you what I have to say and then you can say what you gotta say, got it?"

I nod at him looking him right in the eye. I knew that Blade had always had a serious personality, but this was very serious for Blade. Blade was always the one to break up the fun when the guys were having a laugh. We looked to him like an older brother, he was everyone's protector. When I first met Blanco Angelo Montonille I was half terrified of him, he was 5 foot 11 and was as muscular as Darry. He had the same dark curly hair that Alex had but he had green eyes that where cold with seriousness. When he found me he thought I was one of The Assassins, our rival gang, and was going to beat the tar out of me. But when he saw how scared I was he just helped me up and took me to Benny's. That's when I meet Alex, she was watching T.V eating chips that Blade toke from her so I could eat. When Blade said that I could stay as long as I gave him my story I told them everything from my parents to Johnny and Dallas. They didn't judge me they just listened. Blade gave me his bed and said that he would take the couch. That night me and Alex talked for hours and what we talked about was just nonsense, but it was the best conversation I had ever had with a person.

"Yeah I got it." I tell him.

"Alright, I already know what happened at the bar, and I already know why you and Alex weren't there at the drug store, but that isn't what I want to talk about. I wanted to thank you for what you were to Alex. You made her the person she was when she died. After our folks were killed she would barley even come out of her room or even talk, she was lifeless. But you, when you came along, when you talked to her, you gave her life. You brought her back to life, but better. Even before our parents died she was shy, hardly ever talked out in public, but you let her come out of her shell. She became funny and she would laugh and smile more. She was more happy than I had ever seen her when she was with you. You meant more to her than anybody else, even me….."

I tried to interrupt him, saying that she loved him just as much as she loved me but he held up a hand to quite me.

"It's true and you and I and everybody could see that. You saved her life when that guy at the bar pulled a gun on her, during that rumble last year, and even from just jerks on the sidewalk hassling her. Last thing I gotta say is that I don't want you to fight in the rumble on Thursday, but I wouldn't make you stay home. You're not my kid brother, even though I think of you as one, so I can't make you stay. It's your choice, what do you want to do?"

"I want to fight. This rumble means more to me than anything else. And thanks Blade, I know how much Alex meant to you and it takes a man to admit something like that." I tell him my voice shaking. I turn my head so that Blade won't see me cry like a wuss. He sits next to me taking my chin in his hand. I look at him and he has this rare look of sensitivity in his eyes.

"You know, it's ok to cry sometimes." He tells me gently.

"You always say only pansies cry." I tell him my voice cracking.

"When I tell the guys that it's because they're crying over sissy things, like their ankle is broken or that they cut their hand open." He jokes with me. I laugh a little making me sob a little in my chest. Blade pulls me close to him as I sob into his shoulder.

"It's going to be ok, Pony, it'll be ok." He tells me rubbing my head gently being careful of my bandages.

"We gotta win that fight tonight let's do for Alex we'll do it for Alex!" I shout slamming my fist into Blade's shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Darry's POV

"Soda! Did you pack your pages last night like I told you?" I shout at him thru the house.

"Darry if you want me to move out just say so!" he shouts back pretending to cry.

"Oh, shut up Soda! Just get your bags packed cause we are leaving for the airport first thing in the morning." I tell him going into his room. He is sitting on the bed playing with a rubber band ball.

"Ain't you a little old to be playing with that thing?" I ask him looking thru his bags checking to see what he has packed.

"Nope. There is nothing wrong with playing with toys made for eight year olds when you are nineteen. It just shows that you still have a little kid in you." He says taking one of the rubber bands off the ball.

"Sodapop, you will always be eight years old in my mind." I tell him laughing as I leave the room. When I get half way down the hall I feel a sharp flick on the back of my head.

"Ouch!" I yell turning around to see Soda laughing his head off.

"See Darry, all you need is that little voice inside your head screaming for you to be an eight year old. Join us!" he laughs.

"Soda, you need professional help."

Pony's POV

Blade made me stay in bed for the rest of the day. My headache got worse and soon turned into a full blown migraine. Isaac stayed with me during the migraine and held me up over the toilet when I got sick. Blade had the guys go over to the bar to clean up the mess the cops made and to bust any Assassins that walked by there. I felt sick again and pulled myself up on to the toilet as I puked again. Isaac came back into the bathroom with the Vicodin I had asked for earlier. I normally take aspirin but when I get headaches bad enough I take some of Benny's pain killers.

"Jezz man, you've been throwing up for two hours straight. You can't be serious about fighting on Thursday, you can barely hold yourself up. Speaking of which here." Isaac takes me under the arms and holds me until I'm done.

"I can and will fight on Thursday. I just need to get rid of this headache, so butt out Isaac!" I tell him mad that he just can't mind his own business.

"Fine I'll butt out but don't come crying to me when some Assassin kicks your ass at the rumble Thursday." He says easing me down from the toilet. He helps me over to the bathtub letting me lean against it. Isaac hands me a glass of water and the Vicodin, I take the painkillers and shallow them dry.

"Come on, let's get you in to your room. You don't want to pass out in the bathroom again do you?" he laughs helping me up. When we get to my room he turns off the light. I go over to my bed and lay down. As he starts to leave he stops at the door.

"Look man, I know you think that you have to do this, but you really don't. Alex wouldn't want you to get yourself more hurt than you already are. She hated fighting and didn't fight unless she had to." He tells me trying to convince me.

"Isaac, have you ever seen the person you love the most laying in a pool of their own blood?" I ask him my voice icy and harsh.

"No, I haven't." he says looking at his feet.

"Have you ever held the dead body of the girl you love then close her eyes because she died with her eyes looking at the bastard who shot her point blank in the chest?" I ask him my voice growing louder.

"No." he says quietly.

"And have you ever blamed yourself for her death because you know that you could have done something?" I say sitting up on the bed. "That you could have made sure that she could have been safe going down those stairs." I yell standing up off the bed. "That it should have been you dying on the floor of some white trash bar. It should have been me." I finish whispering the last words sitting down on the bed. "Should have been me." I whisper to myself.

Isaac walks over to me but I hold up a hand to stop him.

"Just go." I tell him. He sighs and leaves the room.

'Should have been me.' I think as the Vicodin takes over my senses and fall asleep.

**Sorry for being so short. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry about the typos, again thank the Lord for Spell Check. I do not own the Outsiders, S.E Hinton does.**

Chapter 7

Ponyboy's POV

"Kid wake up, wake up Pony!" Blade shakes me until I open my eyes.

"Wh...What?" I yell as I fall out the bed. "What's going on?" I ask him as he kneels down to me.

"You had a nightmare, kid. You kept screaming about Alex and for someone not to hurt her. I think the Vicodin screwed with your mind while you were asleep, you gotta stop taking the hard stuff man, last time you almost overdosed on it." Blade tells me helping me back into the bed.

"Did you hit your head?" he asks me handing me the glass of water Isaac left for me.

"No, but it's still killing me." I say drinking the glass. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to suck it up for a while until it stops."

"You really shouldn't fight Thursday, buddy. You could get worse." He tells me rubbing his temples like he does when he's stressed.

"Shut up, Blanco. I'm going to fight weather you guys want me to or not. I need to fight, just quit trying to talk me out of it." I tell him getting of the bed and leaving the room.

"You hungry Ponyboy? You haven't eaten in almost a week." He asks getting out two beers from the frig.

"No, but I wouldn't mind a beer though." I say as he hands me one of the beers.

"When are the guys going to be back?" I ask him when he sits on the couch.

"Soon I think, Paulie called me earlier and said that they would be over here soon." He says as he cracks open his beer.

"How are the guys taking the news?" I ask him knowing that he knew what I meant.

"Rich is being his regular old bastard self, Isaac, well you know how emotional he is so he's taking it pretty hard. Taking care of you while you were sick took his mind off of it for a while. Paulie has been more angry than usual. The day after you fell he went out to the Assassins territory and knifed Tyler's kid brother in the leg."

Tyler Simmons was the ringleader of the Assassins and was tougher than all of Tim Shepard's put together. He was as tough as nails and was heartless. Any crime you could think of committing Tyler has done it at least five times. He never got caught and probably never will. I hate him, not only for killing Alex but for the stuff he has done to the gang. The first week I came here Tyler ordered a hit on Paulie for walking in their territory because it was the only way Paulie could get to Blade's house. The result of the beating gave Paulie a black eye, six broken ribs, a sprained wrist, twisted ankle, and a huge gash on his forehead. He tried to beat up Alex one time because she wouldn't sleep with him, but me and Blade got her out of there and our gang beat up him and his 15 year old kid brother.

"Good for Paulie." I said taking a sip on my beer.

"The others feel bad but they really didn't know her. They're just fighting because she was the one who always patched us up after rumbles. Although, little Wyatt was close to her. He took the news really hard and can't wait to fight. Man does that kid have a temper, he threw a chair after I told him then broke down crying." Blade shook his head and took another sip on his beer.

"You aren't seriously going to let that 12 year old kid going to fight, he could get killed!" I exclaimed looking at him. That kid could get on my nerves, but he was alright. He was Alex's baby. Man did Alex adore that kid. She was like a mom to him, always making sure where he was at, cleaning his cloths, babying him. The gang teased him about it and said that I had compotation with a 12 year old kid. Wyatt was like the gangs Johnny, nobody dared mess with him while Alex or I was around.

"Wyatt wants to fight for Alex same as you. At least he is fighting in good health, you on the other hand are just getting over getting a concussion, so you have no room to talk." He says pointing a finger at me.

Just then Isaac, Paulie, Rich, and Wyatt walk in all but Wyatt half drunk. Isaac is one of those drunks that can act just as normal when he's drunk as when he's sober. Rich can't hold his liquor and is about ready to pass out. Paulie is a happy quite drunk that just smiles and stares at people when he drinks. I'm glad that Wyatt doesn't drink, the kid is still too young to be getting drunk just yet.

"What the hell you guys? I sent you guys to the bar to clean up the mess the cops made, not to get drunk!" he yelled at them standing up. Paulie just started laughing and Richie stumbled over to the couch holding his head.

"Sorry Blade. We just wanted to honor Alex's memory by drinking her favorite brand of whiskey." Isaac says innocently.

"And how is drinking Jack Daniels honoring her memory? At least Wyatt has the common sense to be the sober one so you all can get here. Go wash up, you all reek of whiskey. Wyatt go get me some chips out of the cabinet would ya?" he asks sitting back down downing the rest of his beer.

Wyatt comes back with the chips and a beer. I take it from him shaking my head 'no' to him. I finish my first one then open the beer that Wyatt wanted to drink. I use to hate the taste of beer, but now I like it. I guess it's part of getting older. I really can't believe that now I have to get my nerve from a can, Alex was a drinker but she knew the limits, unlike the rest of us. The thought of Alex gives me a mental whiplash. After the rumble tonight, everything would change.

Soda's POV

"Sir, would you please not kick my seat for the tenth time!" scolds the man sitting in front of me. I lean up close to him.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to kick your seat even though it's where my legs are suppose to go!" I yell back at him.

This plane ride was suppose to be fun, but it turned out to be a whole lot of boring. Darry was in the bathroom and I was sitting behind this idiot how kept leaning his seat back all the way not giving me any leg room. I kept kicking his seat so that maybe he will get the hint that he needs to lean his seat up.

"What's going on here?" asks the flight attendant.

"He keeps kicking my seat." The guy in front of me points a finger at me like a six year old says.

"He won't lean his seat up. He's crushing my legs." I told her trying to seem like the innocent one.

"Sir lean your seat up and son please don't kick his seat." Says the flight attendant annoyed that we bothered her. She leaves and the guy puts his seat up a little and I put my feet away from his back. Darry comes back and sits in his seat.

"So are you enjoying the flight?" he asks as he pulls out a magazine.

"Oh, I'm loving every minute of it." I say sarcastically.

"_Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in New York in about 15 minutes. Please put your seatbelts on and thank you for flying with Tulsa Air. Thank you for your time." _says the captain over the speakers. Darry buckles his seatbelt, but I don't. He hits me in the stomach.

"Put your seatbelt on, Soda, before the flight attendant comes back." He tells me giving me his '_do what I say_' look. I put the stupid seatbelt on and cross my legs in the seat. I can't wait to get off this stupid plane.

When we land I'm the first one off the plane and run to get mine and Darry's bags. I wait for Darry to get off for about 20 minutes and when he comes out he laughs at me.

"You really hated that plane ride didn't you?" he says grabbing his own bags.

"Yes, is there any other way to get back to Tulsa other than a plane?" I ask him as we head for the taxi that Darry's boss rented us for when we landed.

"Not any other way that's free. Come on kiddo, let's just go to the hotel and go do some site-seeing. I don't have to start the business crap until tomorrow." He says as we get in the cab and head off for The Alex hotel.

**So that's Chapter 7. Hope you liked it, please review. Thanks for all the support you guys give me from these reviews.**


	8. Fake Chapter

Please review and tell me what you think. I thought about a few other ways for them to meet up.

Darry needs to go get a bottle of wine at Tommy's bar and finds Ponyboy there, drunk out of his mind.

Soda is taking a walk and walks in on the rumble

Isaac gets hurt in the rumble and it's just him and Pony in the hotel room. Pony giving Isaac stitches.

They win the rumble buy Pony is still mad about Alex's death and goes to the mini mart to rob it and get himself killed. Darry and Soda are there and recognize him.

Isaac and Pony try to mug someone and its Soda.

Or Darry and Soda go sightseeing and when they come back they find Wyatt stabbed and Pony Blade and Isaac trying to help him.

Sorry if you guys thought this was an update but I want to know what you guys think!

Johnny Cade's Little Sister


	9. Chapter 8

**Oh my gosh! Over 40 reviews! Thank you all very much, you have no idea what this means to a kid how gets C-'s in English class. Here are some of the reviews you guys give me**

**The Alex Hotel? :D God they're in the same city! Now they just have to meet. I wonder how it will happen. Maybe, somehow, Dar and Soda will stumble upon the rumble. Or maybe catch Pony at the bar drinking, or I don't know! I can't wait for the next chapter, please update soon. – Sunkissedchris**

**Haha~, love the eight year old bit! It made me giggle! Poor Pony... –Jasmine James**

**haha nice cure for your diese! I like this story and your other 1 Roadtrip so I think you should update fast because my reviews can cure anything! Love your story! – Reading and Writing **

**please update soon really really soon – Draco Malfoy Forever**

**Thank you all for the reviews!**

Chapter 8

Darry's POV

When we got to the hotel Soda admittedly stripped out of the nice cloths I made him wear on the plane to a pair of Levi jeans and a black tee-shirt. I followed his example and changed into my jeans and a plaid work shirt.

"Were should we go first? The Statue of Liberty? The Empire State Building? Oh how about…"

"Whoa there little buddy! Just hold on, I need to get the rental car, call my supervisor, and tell him we're here and see what he needs me to do first. Then we can go sightseeing." I tell Soda going into the bathroom to clean up. The plane ride was long and uncomfortable.

I start to comb my hair when there is a knock on the door and I go to answer it. The man at the door looks in his mid 40's and Italian. His hair is balding but he has bulging muscles and strong looking arms. He has a scar on his face and a cold hard face. His name tag bares the simple message of 'Benny'

"You have a package sir." He says in a bored voice.

"Thanks man." I tell him as I take the package from him. I turn to see Soda trying to break into the mini bar.

"Sodapop Curtis! Stop that, they know if you take the candy from that thing and I don't want to pay ten dollars for candy that's probably expired." I tell him pulling him away from the mini bar. He rolls his eyes at me and whines.

"But Darry! I'm hungry!" he whines holding his stomach.

"We'll be out of here in a minute. Just wait until I call my boss." I tell him heading out of the room.

Soda's POV

I can't wait till we get to go see the city. I've seen pictures of New York and Manhattan and Brooklyn and I can't wait to see them in person. Ponyboy would have loved to have come with us. He would have loved going up into the tall buildings being high in the sky with the clouds and birds. He was deep like that, not afraid to be the sensitive one in the gang. I flip on the TV and find the Mets game, they are winning against the Socks 10-4. Darry comes back in the room and pulls on his jacket.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

"Yes." I say flipping of the TV. I pull on my jacket and follow him out the room door. We go down to the parking garage and there's a man there with the keys to our rental car, we hop in the car and head out.

We go see the Statue of Liberty and then go to Madison Square Garden. We would have stayed at the statue longer but Darry got sick when we got to the top. I thought it was tuff that we could be up that high but Darry thought it was nauseating.

After about five hours out of sightseeing we headed back to the hotel. When we get to the room that guy who gave Darry the package is at the door looking nervous and bouncing on his heels. I look at Darry and he shrugs his shoulders. We walk up to the guy and Darry starts to confront him.

"Um…Sir, is there a problem?" Darry asks the man. The guy looks at Darry and smiles at him.

"No problem sir, just the room is unavailable at the moment. I apologize for the in convenience." He says calmly even though we can see the worry in his face. There's a bang in the room and then a crash.

"Can we go in the room for a moment?" Darry asked clearly annoyed.

"No, sorry sir." He says. There are more noises from the room and some muffled voices.

"Sir, I suggest that you let us in the room before I go get the manager." Darry says making his move past the guy and opening the door. The guy tries to block the door but Darry shoves past him reveling four teenage guys. One of them is on the bed bleeding from his stomach, another one is pressing his hands over the boys wound, and the other two are getting water and towels.

The boy on the bed looks no older than twelve or thirteen with straight black hair and eyes wide with shock. The guys getting the towels look about sixteen or eighteen. One of them has curly black hair and huge muscles. The other one is tall and lean with brown wavy hair and is shaking as he hands the towels to the kid putting pressure on the bleeding boy. The boy applying the pressure to the kid is tall and muscular with reddish-brown hair. He has green-gray eyes full of anger and bitterness, and has scars on his face decorating it like war ribbons. He has a look on his face that can only be described as anger, fear, worry, sadness, and determination to save the kid. This kid looks so familiar but I can't place it. He turns his face to us and the anger on his face intensifies.

"Damn it, Benny I told you to keep them out!" he yells at the guy who was blocking the door.

" I couldn't keep them out, how's the kid doing?" he asks going next to the boy looking at the bleeding boy in the eyes forgetting us.

"I don't know, I think he's in shock." The boy says calmly. Darry moves next to them and takes the boy's pulse.

"What happened?" Darry asks in his calm voice that he uses when everybody else is freaking out.

"He was stabbed." The kid with the dark curly hair says. He takes over applying pressure to the wound and the other one goes to the boy's face to console him. He begins to push back his hair like I use to do to Ponyboy when he was sick or hurt. The young boy is shaking and looking up at the ceiling blankly.

"Easy Wyatt, you'll be just fine. We're going to take you to the doc and you'll be just fine." Comforts the redheaded boy taking the kid's hand. I move close to them and look at the boy. The kid is chalky white except the red on his stomach and hands. The boy is clearly in shock and his breathing is heavy.

"How old is he?" I ask the older boy brushing the kid's hair back.

"He's twelve. We were in a rumble, some guy stabbed him even thou me and Blade were watch him." He tells me calmly not wanting to scare the boy.

"Runner, we need to take him to the hospital." Says the tall boy. The guy called Runner nodes and carefully picks up the kid. He looks at us and the anger in his eyes lessens turning to worry.

"You guys got a car?" he asks desperate.

"Follow me." Darry says leading us down the hall. It's late at night so nobody is in the halls. We all go down to the parking lot and get into the rental car. The guy lays the boy down in the back and sits next to him. Me and Darry get in the front and drive off. When we get to the emergency room Runner picks up the kid again and runs the kid into the building.

"I need some help over here!" Runner shouts. Five nurses pounce on him and take the kid away.

Runner sits down in one of the chairs and rubs his forehead. I go over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" I ask him trying to remember where I know him from.

"Yeah, just worried. Thanks for taking us here." He says not looking up to look at me.

"No problem. My name's Sodapop." I say sticking out my hand for a handshake. He looks up and meets my eyes.

"Soda?" he says in a whisper. Then it clicks , the eyes, the hair, the voice. I know him.

"Ponyboy?"

**Please review and tell me what you think. I thought about a few other ways for them to meet up.**

**Darry needs to go get a bottle of wine at Tommy's bar and finds Ponyboy there, drunk out of his mind.**

**Soda is taking a walk and walks in on the rumble**

**Isaac gets hurt in the rumble and it's just him and Pony in the hotel room. Pony giving Isaac stitches.**

**They win the rumble buy Pony is still mad about Alex's death and goes to the mini mart to rob it and get himself killed. Darry and Soda are there and recognize him.**

**Or Isaac and Pony try to mug someone and its Soda.**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ponyboy's POV

On the way to the rumble I couldn't help but think of Alex. She would have kissed me goodbye and tell me to look after Wyatt and to make sure Blade didn't get to cocky and take on five guys at once, again. She would make sure that we were wearing warm cloths and had our blades on us just in case. I made a promise to her that night, to look after Wyatt. I didn't fulfill that promise.

I made Wyatt stay by me as we walked to the old warehouse where we would have the rumble. The Assassins were known to jump people before a rumble so I wanted to make sure that Wyatt was safe.

Wyatt was shaking a little and his eyes were cold with hate and bitterness. He was breathing in shaky gasps and was shivering against the cold. It may be the middle of May, but it was still freezing. I put my arm around him and gave him a nod.

Isaac was smiling and jumping up and down. He was one of those guys who loved to fight. Isaac was like Soda and Steve; he used rumbles for burning off energy. He loved the suspense of fighting and the not knowing of what was going to happen.

Rich was walking next to Blade and just walking at a steady pace silently. Rich always prepared himself for rumbles by just focusing on his anger. Rich had alto to be angry with. His mom was a bitch who didn't care about him or his kid brother. His dad left them after his mom got pregnant with Jamie because it wasn't his kid. It was some guy she hooked up with one night after her and Rich's dad got in a fight. Rich always imagined his father when he knocked some guy's lights out. I know because he told me when we got drunk after the rumble with the Assassins for beating up Paulie.

Blade was talking to Paulie about who was fighting who. Blade might look like he was calm, but I knew that on the inside he was furious. He was ready to fight, this was his fight for his sister, the fight that really mattered to him. Oh sure he cared about the rumble called for Paulie and the one called for himself, but this rumble was for his sister's blood. They killed her, they are half the reason she is gone, and they need to pay.

Paulie was playing with his smiley chain and focusing by cracking crappy jokes and doing the gymnastics I showed the gang when I came here. He was our Two-bit he could always make the gang smile. He put his arm around Blade and started talking about this broad that he hooked up with last night. Then he whispered something in Blade's ear and Blade slapped him on the head and laughed.

I was trying to keep my cool until we got to the warehouse. I planned to lose it when we started fighting, I wanted to pound Tyler Simmons face in until he couldn't breathe, I wanted to feel his bones break under my fists, making him feel a fraction of the pain that he has caused me. He needed to know what real pain felt like, my pain.

"Ponyboy?" I look at Wyatt. He has a look of nervousness and slight fear.

"Yeah kid?"

"Were you ever scared when you went to your first rumble?" he asked clearly trying to not to look afraid.

"Hell yes. My first rumble was when I was thirteen. My brothers tried to look out for me but I ended up with a black eye. When my dad found out that my brothers let me go with them we all got grounded for two weeks." I laughed. I still remember dad yelling at us and even Darry, who was nineteen at the time, looked like a little kid.

Wyatt gave a nervous laugh and looked ahead. I rubbed his shoulder. "Hey come on. It's all going to work out." I tell him.

"Yeah, it'll work out fine." He says to himself.

When we get to the warehouse the entire gang, all twenty of us, ran into the abandoned building whooping and hollering like animals. I join in and throw Wyatt over to Isaac and then that starts a game of pass around the kid. I smile and remember when I was the one who got passed around in that game.

Blade comes over to me and pulls away from the others. He has his rumble face on. He and Alex had the same fight face, eyes cool and hard, forehead wrinkled from anger and fury, and mouth in a straight line not afraid of anything.

"You ready?" he asks me.

"Yeah, I'm ready. More ready than I've ever been." I tell him bouncing on my heels. My adrenalin was high and my heart was pounding. I was like a bomb just ready to be set off.

"I'm going to take Tomas Simmons. You and Isaac are going to take Tyler Simmons."

"No, I can take Simmons on my own. Let Isaac got crazy on whoever he wants, I want to take Tyler on my own." I say. This was just something I needed to do by myself.

"Alright, whatever you say. Just be careful, Alex wouldn't want…."

"Curtis!" we turn around and the once noisy warehouse became silent as the Assassins strode into the building, Tyler Simmons leading them. Our gang walked toward them meeting them in the middle of the floor. I looked over my shoulder and saw Wyatt standing next to Paulie and Rich. I looked to Blade and he nodded .

"Tyler." I say coolly.

"Curtis. Heard that your bitch was shoot at Tommy's bar the other day." He says just as calm as I did.

"You killed her, you son of a bitch!" I turn around to see Wyatt lunging toward Simmons and Paulie and Rich holding him back. Tyler laughs and shakes his head.

"Not my fault that she herself shot. Young Ponyboy should have been looking after her." He says smirking at me.

"You are the reason the cops came. You should have hid your Coke on your own turf." Blade spits at him.

"The little slut got what she deserved." Tyler said laughing. That's what set me off. I lunged at him and started to pound his face in. Everybody run to the nearest enemy and starting punching and kicking and even biting each other. Some people pulled out blades or chains and others just fought with their fists. The sounds of shouts of curses, groans, grunts, moans, and fists connecting with bodies filled the warehouse as we fought.

Tyler was stronger than I thought he was and threw me off of him. He pulled out his blade and I flicked out mine. We lunged at each other and we started cutting each other. He sliced my arm and I cut his cheek. We forgot our knifes and started hitting each other again. I struck his cheek and he landed his fist in my gut. I fell to my knees and he grabbed his blade he jumped on me and tried to press the tip of it to my throat. I grabbed his hands and attempted to try to get him off me, but to no avail. He would have killed me but Paulie kicked him in the head getting him off me. I jumped up and tackled him grabbing my blade pressing it to his jugular. I cut him a little and watched him bleed.

"This is for Alex you son of a bitch." I whisper to him. I cut him more and the I hear the only thing that would make me pull me away from ending the bastard's life that took away Alex's.

"**Ponyboy help**!" I looked over and saw Wyatt crumbling to the ground holding his side. I jumped off Tyler and sprinted over to Wyatt.

He was already losing his color and was breathing heavy. I pushed him onto his back and saw the blade stuck in the middle of his ribs. I carefully picked him up and carried Wyatt outside. Blade and Paulie and Rich and Isaac must have followed us out here because they were there next to Wyatt holding him still.

"Runner, we got to get him to a hospital." Isaac says his voice shaking. His eyes never left Wyatt's that night. Isaac had a soft spot in his heart for the kid just like Alex did.

"I know just hold on." I said calmly. I turned to Blade. "Hold him still."

Blade puts his hands on Wyatt's shoulders. Rich takes the hint and holds down Wyatt's legs. I get on my knees and take hold of the knife stuck in Wyatt's side. I swiftly but carefully pull out the blade and Wyatt screams. Isaac takes his hand and tries to comfort him. Paulie presses his hands over the wound which was pouring out blood. I turn to Blade.

"Call Benny at work. Get him to clear out a room so we can take care of the kid." I tell him calmly.

"Ponyboy he needs to go to a hospital." He says.

"And what the hell are we going to tell them at the hospital when we get there? They know our faces and they are going to call the cops." I shout at him. "So call your damn uncle!"

He sighs and runs down the street to the payphone. I go over to Wyatt and put his head in my lap. He looks at me trying very hard not to cry.

"P-Ponyboy?" he stutters. I run my hand thru his hair.

"Yeah?" I say gently.

"I'm scared." He says smiling a weak smile.

"You and me both." I say almost to myself. I look at Rich Paulie and Isaac.

"Paulie Rich, go back in there. Make sure no one else is hurt. Then take them back to Benny's place. Stay there until we get back." I tell them. Rich nods and pulls Paulie up and runs into the warehouse. Isaac looks at me and turns back to Wyatt. Blade runs back to us and nods. I pick Wyatt up and follow Blade.

"He cleared a room for us. The guys in it shouldn't be back for a while." Blade says. We walk down the alley for about ten minutes until we get to the back of the Alex hotel. Benny has worked her as a bellboy for years. I look down at Wyatt and he is breathing in gasps. Blade and Isaac go up the fire escape and into a room on the fourth floor.

"Kid I'm going to have to do something to you that's going to hurt like a bitch, but bare with me." I tell him. He nods his head knowing what I'm going to do. In one quick motion I sling him over my shoulder. He lets out a cry of pain and then passes out. I climb up the fire escape and into the room. Blade takes him from me. Blade carries him to the bed and turns to Isaac.

"Go grab some towels from the bathroom." He says I go over to the bed and tap Wyatt on the temple.

"Kid wake up." I say. He stirs and moans. He looks up at the ceiling, his eyes wide. I put my hands over the wound.

There are voices and banging on the door. The door opens and Benny and two other guys are in the doorway. One is handsome with blond hair and lean. The other is muscular with brown hair.

"Damn it Benny I told you to keep them out!" I yell at him. Blade and Isaac come back with towels and water.

"I couldn't keep them out. How's the kid doing?" he asks coming over to us.

"I don't know, I think he's in shock." I tell him calmly. The big guy comes over and takes Wyatt's wrist.

"What happened?" he asks calmly.

"He was stabbed." Blade tells him taking over applying pressure to the wound. I go over to Wyatt's head and push back his hair gently. I tell him comforting things even though I know he can't hear me.

"How old is he?" asks the thinner guy.

"He's twelve we were in a rumble." I tell him still looking at Wyatt. How could I let this happen?

"Runner, we need to take him to the hospital." Isaac says.

I nod and pick Wyatt up. I look at the strangers before me. "You guys got a car?" I ask them. I don't trust people normally, but now I had no choice.

"Follow me." The muscular one says. I follow them to the parking garage and put Wyatt in the car. We ride to the hospital in silence. When we get to the hospital I pick the kid up and run him into the emergency room.

"I need some help over here!" I yell. Nurses take away Wyatt from me and I collapse into the nearest chair. I want to cry but I don't, I can't cry now, I won't be able to stop if I did. Then I fell a gentle hand on my shoulder, for a second I think its Alex. Then I realize it's the blond guy, I don't even bother to look at him.

"You alright?" he asks me.

"Yeah, just worried. Thanks for taking us here." I say to him.

"No problem. My name's Sodapop." He says. I turn to him. Oh my god, Soda. He still has dad's eyes. Soda my happy-go-lucky brother.

"Soda?" I stutter.

"Ponyboy?" he says. He smiles and then starts to laugh.

"Oh god, Ponyboy!" he says laughing. He grabs me and pulls me into the biggest hug I have ever received from him. I hug him back I look over his shoulder and see Darry. He has tears in his eyes. Soda stops hugging me and turns to Darry.

"Hi Darry." I say quietly. He comes over to me and hugs me. Soda hugs us both and I don't know what the hell to do.

**So there they finally meet! Tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Soda's POV

I kept looking at Ponyboy and how much he has changed. He is almost as tall as Darry, has scars covering his face and neck, has Darry's muscle tone, and is way too skinny for his own good. Sure the muscles make him appear healthy, but I know better, he should gain some weight.

Darry has tears rolling down his cheeks as he smothers our youngest brother, but they aren't tears of sadness rather tears of happiness and shock. It's been two years since we have seen Ponyboy, and just suddenly finding him in New York of all places is clearly having too much of an effect on Darry.

Ponyboy is wide-eyed. He has a look of clear shock and panic in his eyes, Pony's face on the other hand is steady and calm. He barely hugs Darry back and is starting to breath funny. He pulls away from Darry and puts his head in his hands.

"Ponyboy? You okay?" I ask him as the two other guys who were in the hotel room with Ponyboy and the kid called Wyatt.

"Runner!" calls the kid with dark curls. Ponyboy looks up at the guy and walks toward him.

"How is he?" asks the other kid.

"I don't know. When we got here, they just took him from me. They haven't told me anything yet. I don't know what else these damn Assassins can throw at us." Pony says sinking down in the nearest chair to him. I go over to him and rub his shoulders. The one called Blade stars at me and pulls out a blade.

"Hey man what the hell…." Blade says

"Blade cool it." Pony says holding a hand up to stop his buddy. "This is Sodapop."

Blade puts back his knife and looks at me then at Ponyboy. "Sodapop? This is the infamous Sodapop Curtis? Your brother Sodapop?" he says dumbfounded.

"Yes, this is my brother Sodapop. That big guy over there is my oldest brother Darry." He says pointing at Darry. I looked at Ponyboy shocked. He has always talked about me and Darry with pride and admiration. He has never referred to Darry as 'that big guy over there.'

Darry walks over to us and sticks out his hand.

"Darrel Curtis."

Blade shakes Darry's hand. "Blade Montonille."

I look at Ponyboy and his friend. I sit next to him and look at him. He's shaking and is pale as a sheet.

"Ponyboy? Are you okay?" I ask him again.

"I just need to clear my head. Isaac, you mind coming with?" he asks the kid next to him.

"Yeah sure, Runner." They get up and turn to me.

"We need to talk Ponyboy." Darry says going to Ponyboy.

"We can talk later Darry." Pony says with such strength in his voice that I have never heard. "I'll be back later Darry. I promise I won't run off again." He says smirking. He gives us a nod and he and Isaac walk out of the hospital.

Ponyboy's POV

When me and Isaac get to the bus stop I finally break down. I don't cry but I just shake and rub my hands up and down my neck. I keep biting my nails and bounce on my heals. He sits next to me and rubs my back.

"Why do we always draw the short straw?" I say to myself. Then I realized that the last time that I said that is when the state was going to take me away from Darry and Soda. I shake my head and look up. I take as deep of breath as I could and stopped shaking.

"You alright now?" Isaac asks me.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I tell him. We just sit there for awhile smoking and thinking. This cigarette wasn't doing much for me so I tossed it to the curb. I look around and see a man standing at the corner. I know who the guy is. I've smoked pot before, after I got shot I toke a few puffs every once in awhile to take care of the pain when the pain pills didn't work. They made me relax and calm me down more than a cigarette ever could.

I get up off the bench and ignore Isaac when he asks what the hell I'm doing. I go over to him and pull out the a ten dollar bill from my pocket. He looks at me and smirks.

"What the hell do you want kid?" he asks.

"Give me as much as ten dollars can get me." I say ignoring his first comment. He raises his eyebrows and pulls out a baggie with a grass looking substance in it. I give him the ten and he nods.

"Nice doing business with you." He says. I nod and walk over back to Isaac. He scowls and rolls his eyes at me.

"Really? You really think that pot is going to make you feel better?" he says walking down the street.

"For the moment, yes I do. It's just one little hit, Eyes. It's no big deal." I tell him going up the stairs to Benny's apartment. The guys are no longer there. I figure that they went to the bar to get some drinks.

"What ever man. You do what you think you have to do, but I just don't want to see you crash and burn." He say sitting on the couch. I sit next to him, roll up the grass-like substance into a piece of paper, light up, and inhale slowly. As soon as the smoke travels down my throat I feel instant relief. The pot relaxes my muscles and a red haze comes over me.

"Don't worry, man. I'll be fine." I tell him taking another puff. I lean back on the couch and tilt my head back. I keep puffing on the joint until it runs out. I look at Isaac and he just as a look of pity on his face. I start to laugh and somehow end up on the floor. Isaac rushes over to me and flings me back onto the couch. He takes the bag away from me and puts it somewhere where I can't see.

The red haze takes over my mind and I start to fade into a pure white room. I stand up in the room and see a beautiful girl. She's wearing a white silk dress flowing down to the white floor. She has tan skin, dark curly hair, deep blue-gray eyes, and a angel face.

"Alex." I say running up to her. She smiles at me and runs to me. Alex jumps on me and wraps her legs around my waist. I hold her close stroking her soft hair. She is crying, but she's laughing at the same time.

"I gottca you baby, I got you." I tell her tears rolling down my face. She unwraps her legs from my hips and looks at me. She smiles at me and buries her face in my neck. She looks up at me and smiles.

"I love you Ponyboy Michel Curtis." She says to me.

"I love you Alexandria Maria Montonille." I tell her leaning down to kiss her. When our lips are about ready to meet Alex starts to fade.

"Ponyboy help me!" she screams trying to hold onto me.

"Alex! Wait hold on." I tell her. As I try to hold onto her she keeps becoming more and more transparent.

"Ponyboy please save me!" Alex cries as she disappears. A golden mist takes place of where Alex was and floats there for a few moments. I sink to my knees and sob. I let the tears flow freely not caring who should see me. I sit there for God knows how long sobbing and gasping for breath. Then the golden mist floats together and forms into the shape of a teenage guy. He has dark skin with a scar on his face. His arms are no longer burnt and his hair has the grease in it that he wanted the day me and Two-Bit came to see him at the hospital. The gown is gone now replaced by white silk shirt and pants. He's smiling at me holding his arms wide open.

"Johnny!" I say going over to him hugging him and messing up his hair. He laughs and hugs me back.

"Hey Pony." He says patting me on the back. He pulls away and frowns.

"What's happened to you man?" he asks me.

"What do you mean?" I ask him. Johnny fades and then I see Dallas Winston.

"Dally?" I gap at him. He smirks and then laughs at me.

"No, I'm you." He says. Then the white blond hair changes to my reddish brown hair. The eyes change form blue to green, and I realize that I'm looking at myself.

"No, no. This wasn't suppose to happen." I say backing away from myself. I start to run away and no matter how hard I run I keep seeing my Dallas clone.

"Get away!" I scream.

"Ponyboy wake up!"

I feel a sharp blow to my cheek and I fall of the couch again. I open my eyes and see Blade Darry Soda and Isaac standing over me. I sit up and rub my temples. I look at my hands and see that I'm not Dallas, I'm still Ponyboy. Sodapop bends down to me.

"You okay Pony?" he asks me helping me get back on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

**Please Review! Was it to weird or to dramatic? Tell me what you think! I need some input! **


	12. Chapter 11

**Very very sorry for the long up-date. I know that some of you might want to strangle me, but you can't find me! Ha Ha Ha! Oh, just so you guys know, I think that you guys didn't see the last chapter. Just make sure that you did. Oh and I forgot the disclaimer. **

**I do not own the **_**Outsiders, **_**S.E Hinton does. **

Chapter 11

Blade's POV

After Runner and Isaac left, I was stuck with Ponyboy's brothers. The older one, Darry, asked about his youngest brother. The other one kept pacing around the seats occasionally shouting out a question.

"So, has Ponyboy been going to school?" Darry asks me timidly. It's funny how such a big guy is nervous asking about asking me such a simple question. I rub my hands together nervous about my answer.

"Depends. Some days he'll go, some days he won't." I say. Darry sighs and rubs his temples.

"Why doesn't he go every day?" Soda asks sitting down finally.

"Because he doesn't want to. Because he has other things he needs to do. Look, I don't have all the answers for you guys. You need to be asking your brother. I know it doesn't seem like it, but he really has missed you guys. Ponyboy told me and my sister about you guys and why he ran away. It wasn't because he didn't want to live with you guys, it was because he couldn't stand to not live with you. He would rather be here in New York, poor as hell living in an apartment that is rotting thru the floor than living in some fancy house and not living with his brothers." I tell them hoping that they realize that they are not at fault, it's the stupid social worker. Soda nods then smiles at me while Darry runs his hands thru his hair.

The doctor comes in with a mask and bloody scrubs on. Wyatt's blood. I stand up and go over to him.

"How is he? He's okay right?" I ask him. After my sister's death, Pony being sick, and the rumble, we can't take much more. The doctor sighs and takes off his mask.

"Your friend survived the surgery, but he is in shock and has lost a lot of blood. It's going to be touch and go for awhile. We'll know in the morning if he'll survive. Meanwhile, I have some questions for you."

I sigh and then nod.

"Where you with Mr. Ross when he was stabbed?" he says taking out a pen and writing on his chart.

"Look man, I know that you can't say anything to the cops. Doctor patient confidentiality, and don't think that I won't sue you if you do call the cops." I tell him full authority in my voice. The doctor laughs and takes off his glasses.

"Now I remember you. You're Benny Montonille's nephew. Your sister was shot in that drug bust the other day." He says. I growl and glare at him. He looks at me and rolls his eyes.

"Kid I wasn't saying anything about your sister. I remember her coming here with some other guys. She was very sweet and respectful, and I am sorry for your lost. Now back to your friend. Were you with him when he was stabbed?" he asks again.

"Yes, I was." I say. He writes that down on the chart.

"How long before you brought him here was he stabbed?" he asks.

"I don't know. Maybe 20 30 minutes." I say.

"Do you know of any allergies or pervious health issues that Wyatt may have?" he asks again.

"Umm… He broke his collar bone last year. I think he said that he was allergic to penicillin." I say unsure of my answers.

"Alright, one last question. Do you know his next of kin so we can contact them?" I sigh and try to think of what I should tell him. His dad is a drunk and doesn't give a damn, his mom is last I heard in county lock up for drug possession, the only other family member I can think of is his older sister. His sister was 19 living in Queens as a barmaid trying to make it in college. Wyatt doesn't talk a lot about her, but I guess he would rather have her here than his dad.

"He has a sister named Hannah living in Queens. She goes to the community college." I tell him wanting to leave and go home. He nods and says thank you.

I turn back to Ponyboy's brothers. They look at me with understanding in their eyes. They know what its like to be worried for your brother. All the guys in my crew are considered my brothers. It's not that way with the Assassins. Their motto is 'Every man for himself'. It's never been that way in our gang; we've known each other to long to not think of each other as family. Sure we can all be a pain to each other, but that's how it's always been. I wouldn't have it any other way. The gang is all I have left after Benny. Alex was the last person in our immediate family. Our parents were killed in a fire. Dad got me and Alex out, but Mom got pinned down by a fallen beam. Dad died trying to save her. Ever since then me and Alex lived with our Uncle Benny.

"You guys should come over to my place to talk to Ponyboy. He and Isaac should be there by now." I say. They nod and go out to their car. I tell them how to get to my house and we drive in silence.

I lean back in the car and try to relax. Alex was always good at getting me to calm down. She would rub my shoulders and make me fall asleep. I miss my kid sister so much. She, even though I will never admit this to anyone, was my rock. She kept me sane after mom and dad died. I should have been there more for her, but I guess Ponyboy was there for her in my absence. I was so glad that Alex found him; they were each other's best friends and soul mates. If Runner didn't care as much about her as I knew he did, I would have never let Alex and Ponyboy share a room together. I had a long talk the first day I found them sleeping in the same bed. Granted they were fully dressed, but she was my baby sister. Ponyboy told me that he would never get Alex pregnant and that he would always be there for her. I told him to stop being so touchy felly, but I knew that he loved her.

When we got to the apartment we got out and went up the stairs to the apartment. I unlock the door to see Isaac and Pony on the couch. Pony was lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling. I looked at Isaac and he shook his head. Darry went over to him and shook him. Then Ponyboy lets out a bloodcurdling scream. Soda runs over to him and tries to wake him up.

"Ponyboy wake up!" Soda yells in his face. I slap Pony in the face causing him to fall him on the floor. His breath is shaky and he as a rim of red around his eyes. Everybody is looking at him intently.

"You okay Ponyboy?" Soda asks him helping him back on the couch. Ponyboy looks at his hands taking a breath.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He says getting back on the couch. He rubs his temples and leans back. I lean down to his level and look him in the eye. His eyes are glassy and he is sweating like crazy. I put my hand in his forehead finding that he is clammy. I go over to Isaac and grab his shirt.

"Where is it Isaac?" I ask him. I can stand for anything the guys do, drink, pit pocket, smoke, but the one thing that I can't stand is drugs.

"On top of the frig." He says scared. I go over there and find a bag of marijuana. I scowl and go over to Ponyboy. He is breathing swallow and looks sick. I look at his brother Darry and he grabs the bag out of my hand. Ponyboy has told me of his oldest brother's temper, but now he looked like he was going to blow a gasket. I go over to Runner and look him in the eye.

"Did you smoke that pot?" I ask him calmly. He nods and closes his eyes. Soda scrunches his eyebrows together. I nod and push Ponyboy gently put my hand on his forehead again. I look over to Isaac. I have dealt with Rich and some of the other guys coming over here high, so I knew what to do. Ponyboy didn't look to bad, just a little sick.

"Go get me a washcloth and some water." I tell him. He nods and I lean over to pick Runner up. Darry shoves me aside.

"I got him." He says. Darry gently scoops Ponyboy up in his arms.

"Where to?" he asks I walk over to Alex and his old room and nod towards the bed. Soda comes in and watches his older brother put their youngest brother on the bed. Darry takes his shoes off and pulls off his jacket. Eyes comes over with the water and washcloth. I take them from him and go over to Ponyboy. Soda follows and I give it to him. Soda dips the washcloth in the water and gently wipes off the sweat from Pony's brow.

"He going to be okay?" Isaac asks me. I look at the three brothers and nod.

"Yeah, he'll be okay."

**Sorry for the long up-date. Been really busy. Please Review. Oh and just a reminder, I don't think that you guys saw my last chapter. Anyway PLEASE REVIEW.**


	13. Chapter 12

**I do not own the Outsiders, S.E Hinton does.**

Chapter 13

Darry's POV

In all my years knowing my kid brother Ponyboy, I have never known him to be like this. According to Blade he rarely goes to school, gets drunk on a regular basis, and he has gotten high before. Right now as me and Soda are taking care of him after getting high off marijuana. I thought he had more sense than that, he knows the risks of drugs. Me and Soda both had a long talk with Ponyboy about drugs and threatened him within an inch of his life not to use drugs. Another thing I have failed for my kid brother.

"Alex…Stop!" Ponyboy mutters. I sit on the bed next to him holding his hand. Soda runs the rag across his brow again trying to wake him up.

"It's no use, Soda, just let him sleep this off. We can talk to him in the morning." I say softly.

"Darry what are you going to do about work? I mean the only reason we're here is because you have a business meeting. What are you going to tell your boss?" he asks me sitting on the other side of our brother. Damn I haven't thought about that. What will I tell Mr. Wright? I can't just bail on this, I'll get fired.

"I have a meeting tomorrow and on Sunday, then we have to leave on Tuesday. I guess we'll have to convince him to come home. I wonder what he's been doing for the last two years." I say lightly running my fingertips over Ponyboy's forehead.

"Same here. Who do you think Alex is?" he asks holding Pony's hand.

"I don't know, little buddy, I guess we'll have to ask him that." I say.

"I know who Alex was." Says a voice by the door. I turn my head around and see that kid who was with Pony when he got high. What was him name…Isaac!

"Come on in." Soda says being polite.

"Thanks." He says sitting on the bed by Pony's feet. Ponyboy has stopped muttering and is now sleeping peacefully. I'm glad; he looks like he needs a good rest.

"So, who was this Alex guy? Was he in the rumble to?" Soda asks. Isaac chuckles shaking his head.

"Um...No. Alex was Pony's girlfriend. She was killed a few days ago." He says solemnly. Wow, Pony had a girlfriend.

"She was Blade's younger sister. Alex was at the bar and she got shot by a cop who was there looking for drugs. Pony's pretty broken up about it. He was with her when she was killed. He really loved her. She was great for him, you never saw them apart. Alex was sweet and kind and good. She took care of us when we were hurt or sick. And she was really pretty. I think that there's a picture of them in here somewhere." He says jumping off the bed. I digest what Isaac has said. Not only did Pony have a girlfriend, he loved her. She sounded just like the girl I have always wanted for him. She really sounded perfect for him.

Isaac rummaged through draws muttering things like 'I know she kept them him here." Or 'I know I saw them somewhere around here.' Finally he smiled and pulled out a pile of photographs wrapped in a rubber band. He got back on the bed and handed half to Soda and half to me.

"Here. Alex took pictures whenever she could. She said that we would want these later in life even though we might not want them now." He said softly. He half smiled and went back to the desk which he got the pictures out of.

I looked though the photos and smiled to myself. I saw how Pony had changed over the two years that he was gone. Pictures of him and his new gang on the staircase, in the park, at a bar, and in the apartment where most common throughout the stack. The writing on back was neat and girly.

One picture made me stop in my tracks. It was Ponyboy and a girl sitting on the couch in the living room holding hands. The girl was clearly Italian with, what appeared to be in the black and white photograph, curly brown hair and blue eyes. She was smiling while Pony was smirking kissing her hand. They were sitting so close to each other she was almost sitting in his lap. This must be his girl Alex.

I flipped to the next one and it was Blade, Pony, Alex, Isaac, Wyatt or whatever his name is, and two other boys were sitting on the couch. Alex was in Ponyboy's lap holding his chin with one hand and the other holding Wyatt's hand. She was laughing. Blade was sitting on the arm of the couch smoking with one hand on Pony's shoulder, the smirk on Blade's face made me think of Dallas. Ponyboy was half smiling to the camera. His arm was around Alex's shoulders showing his protectiveness of her. Isaac was smiling like a goof crossing his eyes. One of the other boy's was trying to push him away toward Blade. The last one was rolling his eyes at Isaac, but smiling. They looked like normal teenage kids who were pretty close. I am glad that if Ponyboy left home that he at least found a place like this. I flip to the next picture and it's the first one in the stack. I sigh and give them back to Isaac. Soda does to after a few minutes as well.

I look down at my brother's sleeping face. I see a mini mix version of me and Sodapop, but I try to see past that. I see a teenage kid who has gone through hell and is trying to be strong. Someone who is trying to be a solid rock for the ones he cares about but is failing miserably. The look in his sleeping face is one of rebellious and tough. The look of Dallas Winston. No, no, I will not let that happen. My baby brother will not become another Dallas Winston.

I look at my watch and see its 2oclock in the morning. I need to get some sleep. I carefully get off the bed and scoop up Ponyboy. I walk out of the room and Soda follows me. Blade is awake watching T.V. He looks up at me and sees Ponyboy in my arms.

"Are you going to take him back to your hotel?" he asks.

"Yeah, I want to talk to him as soon as he wakes up. Do you mind?" I ask him knowing he won't dare say yes.

"Sure go ahead, he needs to talk to you guys. Nice meeting you." He says turning back to the T.V. I nod and walk out the door and carefully go down the stairs putting my weight back so if I do fall me and Ponyboy won't take a nose dive. I notice a definite lightness in his weight. He feels like he did after he came back from Windrixville. When we get to the car Soda opened the back door so Pony could lay down. We ride in silence. When we get to the hotel the valet takes the car and I fling Pony over my shoulder. Thankfully there's nobody in the lobby or the halls so nobody sees us. I turn the key to our room and see new bed sheets on the mattress. I lay Ponyboy on the bed that Soda has and take off his shoes while Soda takes off his shirt. I cover him up as Soda crawls in the bed and puts his arm around Ponyboy. Pony rolls into Soda's side and snuggles up to him. I smile and lean down to him.

"I love you, Ponyboy. It's good to have you back."

**Please Review. **


	14. Chapter 13

**This chapter is dedicated to the following people: Lilla-Lilla, Sunkissedchris, Power of darkness, Meadowgirl12345, Ginnyrules27, DracoMalfoy4Ever, and Jasmine James. You all have reviewed and supported me since the first chapter. **

**Disclaimer: S.E owns the story, characters, and plot. I do not have that honor.**

Chapter 13

Pony's POV

After Blade had slapped me and I had told him that I did smoke the pot I fell back into the red haze again. This time it was different, it was like I was watching the memories I had of Alex, Johnny, and Dallas.

"_Johnny, where do you think that people go when they die? I mean the bible says they go to heaven, but what do you think?" I ask taking a drag on my cigarette looking up at my best friend._

"_Aw, hell I don't know man. I guess that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. Why are you asking?" he says sitting on the old tire in the lot. I shrug and take another drag._

"_I don't know. I guess it's because my mom and dad. I never really got to say goodbye to them. I guess we always draw the short straw." I say smiling sadly at him… the vision changes to me and Dally sitting on the couch watching Gunsmoke. _

"_Man I'm bored!" Dally says lighting up. He offers me one and I take it. I light up too and look at the scar on Dallas's arm._

"_Why are you staring at me man, I ain't like that." He says smirking at me._

"_When did you get that?" I ask him ignoring the last comment. _

"_Oh, I rolled some drunk Soc last night, and he got a blade on me. Ain't no big deal." He says looking back at the T.V. Man, I wanted to be tough like him….. The scene shifted to me and Alex at Grade Central Park. _

"_Jezz, I hate sleeping out here." Alex mutters snuggles closer to me. We were lying down next to a tree holding each other's hands. _

"_Oh, you poor baby. Sorry I couldn't get us a reservation at the Holiday Inn, but you know we lost all our money on Wall Street." I say sarcastically. She punches me in the stomach and laughs. I kiss her on the forehead and scoot closer to her so she was almost sitting on my lap. She loved to sit on my lap, anytime I would be sitting down on the couch Alex would help herself to my lap._

"_Next time my stupid brother kicks us out because he has a girl over, I'm going to kick his ass." She mutters already falling asleep on my legs._

"_Oh, be nice." I tell her. She turns around on has a devil smile on her face. She pushes me roughly down onto the grass and holds me down there. I smile and roll us over so I'm on top. She stars at me and smiles. I push her hair out of her eyes and lean down to her lips. Our first kiss…._

_Now it's me and Alex at home sitting on the couch. I was really, really, drunk. It was the anniversary of Johnny and Dallas's death. I was very depressed and trying to make the pain go away. Alex had been trying to cheer me up all day but I wouldn't let her. I was on my eighth beer and was hammered. Alex shook her head at me and scowled. _

"_What! What the hell do you want Alex! You got something to say!" I shout at her angrily stumbling up pointing a drunken finger at her. She stands up and gets right in my face. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you? Why can't you just let it go! I don't care what happened, what matters is that you move on! We are your family now, me and Blade and the gang; we love you and won't ever leave you! Why can't you see that they would want you to move on and get on with life!" she screams at me tears rolling down her eyes. I sigh and hold her close, she wraps her arms around me and pulls herself up so her legs can wrap around my hips. _

"_You won't ever leave me?" I ask her knowing that I sound like a little kid. She kisses me hard on the lips and nods._

"_I won't ever leave you." She says baring her face in my neck. Our first and last fight. Now we are in our bedroom holding hands and talking. Just talking about things. I loved talking to Alex it was like we were adults, not being treated like little kids. Then she turns to me and lies across my chest. Her hands toy with the neckline of my shirt. _

"_Do you ever miss your brothers?" she asks._

"_Yeah, I do. I always miss them, even though me and Darry don't get along that well." I tell her. _

"_Then why don't you ever call them?" she asks trying to be subtle._

"_Alex…Stop. You know why, and besides, I belong here with you." I tell her. She kisses me and then looks at me. _

"_I love you." She says with the most serious face I've ever seen on her. That was the first time she said that to me. I knew that I liked her but, did I really love her? Alex pushed the hair out of my eyes and I looked into her two beautiful blue ocean eyes, and I knew. _

"I love you too." I say and I kiss her again. Then I feel a sudden blood rush to my head. I groan and wake up from this beautiful dream. I don't open my eyes just yet because of my spontaneously bursting headache. Then I realize that I'm not in my bed, or any other familiar bed. I open my yes squinting at the brightness of the room. I sit up and see that I'm in the room where we took Wyatt to.

"Morning Sunshine." I turn to see my brother Sodapop sitting on the other bed cross legged.

"Hi, how did I get here?" I ask him rubbing my eyes.

"Darry carried you here. He and I are going to talk to you when he gets back." He says coming over to me. He smiles and rubs my hair. I swat his hand away not use to people doing that. He looks hurt and sighs.

"We've really missed ya, Pone. Me and Darry both have. Things were really sad at home without you." He says. I nod and rub my temples. He gets up and grabs the hotel phone.

"Can I get some Aspirin in room 193?" he says into the phone.

"Thank you." I say to him. He nods and smiles. "Yeah, thanks." He says into the rotary phone. I lay back down on the bed closing my eyes, stupid concussion. I feel a weight change in the bed and Soda putting my head in his lap. I look up at him as he rubs my temples. I relax close my eyes again.

"You still get those headaches of yours, Ponyboy?" he asks gently.

"Yeah, it doesn't help that I got a concussion a few days ago either." I say falling into my brother's ploy to get me to 'open up'.

"How did you get a concussion?" he asks startled.

"I fell down some stairs." I say. He chuckles still rubbing my temples.

"Your still just as clumsy as you were when you left." He says softly trying to get me to relax. It's working so well that I might fall asleep. The headache is nearly gone and it's nice to have someone to be comforting to you, like Alex was. I hear the door open and open my eyes. I sit up and see Darry standing in the doorway business suit and tie on.

"Alright, kid, we need to talk."

**Please Review. **


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Pony's POV

Darry sat on the bed next to me and Soda. Soda behind and Darry in the front, I guess to make sure I didn't try to bolt out of the room. I didn't need this right now, but I guess Darry didn't care. I sighed and pulled out a cigarette, my last one. I need to pick up a new pack when I leave. Darry shakes his head as I light up. Ever since I started smoking he always gets high and mighty about it. I hate that about him. Darry clears his throat and looks at me.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis, do you know how worried me and Soda have been about you for the past two years?" he asks me anger in his voice. I shake my head taking a puff off the stick. I don't care about his worries, I have my own.

"Well, we've worried about you plenty for all these long years. You have no idea how much we care about you, do you? I still have no idea why you ran away. It was the single most stupid thing…."

"You want to talk about being stupid?" I shout at him. He looks at me furious that I interrupted him. I stand up and try to leave before he and Soda drag me back to the bed. Soda holds me there while Darry holds down my arms.

"You will sit here and listen to me. You own me that much Ponyboy." He says. I roll my eyes and continue to smoke my cigarette.

"I know that you didn't want to go into foster care or to a boy's home, but you didn't have to leave. We could have gone back to court, gotten the judge to let me keep you. Every day that you were gone my heart broke more and more. Soda especially he went in a depression after you left, he missed you so much. We still do, you aren't the same as you were before you left, your tougher meaner and angrier. But you are more responsible and smarter, not to mention you look just like me and Sodapop. I know that you have seen things that no one should ever have to see here, and I'm sorry that you did. I wish you could have talked to us before you ran off, but it's too late for that now I guess. What's done is done, and I need to let go. I want you back home, our home Ponyboy. I know that the state won't like it you being back and all, but I'll make sure that you can live with us. I can promise you that kiddo." He says a lot nicer now. I close my eyes and try to register what I have just heard. Never has Darry said those kinds of things to me. He really cared about me.

"Also, I want to know what has happened since you left. I don't care at this point how gory the details are, I just need to know. We got all day kid, and you're not leaving till I hear every last bit of your life in New York." He says crossing his arms. I sigh tossing my butt into the trashcan. My headache was coming back and I knew that the only way to leave was to tell them. I rubbed my temples and looked at Darry.

"You really want to know?" I ask him.

"Try me." He says. I sigh and start my story.

Soda's POV

I took in a breath and listened to my brother's story. It was like sitting helplessly as you saw someone you loved being jumped or killed. The way he described living on the streets alone till Blade found him and how he and Alex were so close and how she was just shot down by some damn cop was heart wrenching. How he gotten shot to save Alex and how he and Isaac would annoy Blade made me more and more proud of my kid brother. The horror of how he carried Alex out of the bar and how he had to pull the blade out of Wyatt made me shiver. As he would describe the details that Darry had so desperately wanted, he would use his hands to describe and make the tale seem more and more real. Having to hear him reveal this horrible story was like seeing my two brothers being wailed on over and over again.

He talked especially about Alex and who she was. How they would take walks together in the park and how they could just talk about things feeling like adults. The way he described her was like hearing about an angel, how her hair was curly brown and that her eyes were blue and sparkled with life. That they slept in the same bed without ever having sex. That surprised me a lot, how they could be together and share a bed without doing the dirty. I guess they loved each other that much that they didn't need to have sex. Darry didn't like how they shared a bed, but he was glad to hear that they didn't do _'it.'_

When he talked about the bar shooting his voice started to crack and he shook. I put my arm over his shoulders as he cried silently telling us about how he saw her lifeless body at the end of the staircase. I almost stopped him but I knew that he had to get this off his chest. He needed closer. And so did we. He told us about running out of the apartment and falling down the stairs getting the concussion. That he missed the funeral while he was sick, and how he was so determined to be in the rumble. That he almost killed Tyler Simmons before helping Wyatt.

He said that when he smoked the pot how he saw Johnny, Dallas, and Alex. That he couldn't save Alex in the dream and that Johnny said that he changed. I could tell that there was more to the story, but I didn't want to distract him. And the memories he had of the ones he lost. And how much he missed Alex, and that he wished it was him that was shot. He broke down at that point sobbing and crying into my shirt as I held him. Darry can over and held both of us.

"Shh…Pony, I got you. It's okay."

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Please Review.  
P.S if you read Sodapop's POV while listening to Lykke Li's Possibility it sounds so much more deeper and soulful. At least that's what I think.


	16. Chapter 15

I do not own the Outsider's, S.E does.

Chapter 15

Pony's POV

I couldn't stop crying. No matter how hard I tried to take a breath and stop the flow of tears coming from my eyes, but I couldn't. Soda jut held me and Darry rubbed my back letting me bawl. I kept thinking of Alex and how it really should have been me. It wasn't fair, Alex Johnny Dallas my parents, none of it was right. They should all still be here. Mom and Dad should have never gone through that short cut to get home because I was sick and wanted them home. I should have never ran into the church and Johnny wouldn't have followed and then Dallas wouldn't have gone and gotten himself killed. I should have made sure that it was safe for Alex to go down the stairs. This was my entire fault.

"My fault." I muttered. Soda pulled back a little to look at me.

"What did you say, kiddo?" he asks me kindly. Darry has stopped rubbing my back to look at me as well.

"It was all my fault." I say still sobbing. Man, if the guys saw me now, there goes my tough guy reputation.

"What's your fault Ponyboy?" Darry asks me confused.

"Mom, Dad, Johnny, Dallas, Alex, everything." I say braking down again. Darry pulls me close and holds me as I sob. All of this was coming down on me and I couldn't take it, it was like having the flood gates of a dam burst on you. Having to bare all this was making me drown in a flood and no one to save you. Alex use to be my life preserver, and now I needed my brothers now more than ever before.

"Ponyboy Curtis, you listen to me." I look up at my oldest brother and he smoothes back my hair. "None of this was your fault. Sometimes these things just happen. I don't know why, but Mom always said that everything happens for a reason. We just got to stick together." He says holding me tighter. I sigh and hug him back.

"Why do we always draw the short straw Darry?" I ask him. He sighs and rubs my arms like Dad use to when we were upset or scared. I was feeling both emotions right now.

"I don't know. But we still have each other, and I won't let anything change that. You know that right?" he asks me. I nod and let him and Soda hold me like some little kid.

"Yeah, I know that."

Wyatt's POV

The pain in my stomach was unbelievable. I thought that broken ribs hurt, but now I know better. Hannah came to the hospital in tears. When she got to my room she ran over to me fussing over me and running her hands through my hair. No one except Alex has done this for me in a long time. I missed Alex; she was more of a sister than Hannah was. Alex was there for me, and for everybody else of the gang. She made sure that she knew where was and who I was with and she made Ponyboy look out for me during a rumble. At first I hated how she would baby me, but then it was nice to have someone to look out for you and make sure that you were alright.

"Why were you even in that rumble Wyatt? You could have been killed. Do you have any idea how much of my money I'm going to have to spend to pay for your hospital bill? Huh? Did you ever think of that?" she yelled at me. I threw my pillow at her.

"Just get out!" I yelled at her trying to sit up. I failed miserably. Hannah fled the room and I layed back down. I hated feeling this weak. Hopefully one of the guys would come by soon to see me. I wondered how Ponyboy was, I barely remember the rumble except Ponyboy carrying me out of the warehouse. Then Blade and Paulie came in. I tried to sit up again. They saw that I was having trouble so Blade held me up while Paulie put pillows behind me. I thanked them and sat back against the pillows.

"So how they treating you kid?" Paulie asks me sitting on the bed.

"Alright. My sister came by a few minutes ago." I tell them.

"Yeah, we saw her in the elevator. Man, does she have a mouth! I never heard Blade here say shit like that." He says. It's rare to have a conversation with Paulie without him cussing at you.

"I bet. How's Ponyboy?" I ask them. They look at each other and I fear the worse.

"What happened? Did one of the Assassins get him?" I ask them sitting up more. Blade puts a hand on my shoulder trying to get me to calm down.

"Ponyboy's fine. It's just, his brothers came here down from Tulsa a few days ago. He's with them now." He says.

"I didn't know that he had brothers." I say.

"Yeah join the club kid." Paulie mutters under his breath. Blade smacks him across the back of his head.

"If he didn't want to tell you, that's his business." He says to Paulie.

"Wait a minute. You said 'you' not us. You knew that he had brothers." I say.

"Yes I knew. But that's still none of your business kid." He says pointing a finger at me. I nod and feel tired. Blade notices and pulls down the blinds. I lay back against the pillows. Paulie sits on the bed next to me until I fall asleep.

Please Review.

P.S. Valentine Thornton calm down.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Pony's POV

My brothers held me for a long time. I had forgotten what being held by someone that is not your girlfriend was like. It felt nice. Even though I still blamed myself for Alex's death I knew that I could still solve the problem. I would go into the Assassins territory, find Tyler Simmons, and kill him. He didn't deserve life. He was a bastard who deserved to die. He was no good in this world. I let my hate for Tyler and his gang take over me. Letting it consume me, engulfing me in a sheet of hate and misery. After Tyler was gone then I could get on with life. I sighed and pulled away from my brothers.

"I have to go." I tell them grabbing my jacket. Darry grabs my arm to stop me.

"Where are you going?" he asks me.

"To the hospital." I saying hoping they won't come with me.

"We'll go with you." Soda says standing up. I shrug looking like I don't care. They follow me down the street and to the hospital. It was a thirty minute walk. I guess we could have taken their car, but I didn't think about that. When we get to the hospital people are rushing around carrying charts and wheeling people around on gurneys. I go up to the nurse's station and see that one of the nurses that always takes care of the gang. Her name was Georgia. I go up to the desk and put my elbows on the counter to annoy her.

"Wyatt is one the third floor room 284." She says not looking up at me.

"Aww…Georgia, where's the love? Where's the hello Ponyboy that you know brighten ups my day?" I ask her. Now she looks up clearly annoyed.

"I have twenty patents that I just got dumped on me, four of them even more annoying then you. So pardon me if I have no time for your antics." She says getting up. I roll my eyes and motion my brothers to follow me.

"You in here that often?" Soda asks me as we get in the elevator. I nod my head and get out of the elevator. I find Wyatt's room and look at the kid. He is sweating and pale as a ghost. I go over to him and put my hand on his arm. He stirs and looks at me.

"Hey, kid. How are you doing?" I ask him. Darry and Soda come in staying out of the way.

"Been better. Paulie and Blade were here earlier." He says weakly. I nod feeling his forehead. It was burning hot.

"Soda, would you go find the doc?" I ask him not looking away from Wyatt. He leaves the room and I brush the hair out of Wyatt's eyes. As much as it pains me to say, I really care about the kid. He was our Johnny. Blade was our Darry, Paulie and Rich were like Steve; Isaac was a Two-Bit. Alex was like Sodapop. I wondered where that left me. I wasn't 'me' anymore, all that left was Dallas. Maybe Dallas had the right idea. Maybe if you look after yourself and make yourself tough, you won't get hurt. I mean look at me, I've live this long.

Soda and some doctor come in the room. The doc took Wyatt's temperature and takes his pulse. He looks at the wound and its swollen red with puss seeping through it. Wyatt hiss in pain as the doctor presses on it. Wyatt takes my hand squeezing it tight.

"I'm going to have you ask you to leave." The doc says. Everyone nods. I give Wyatt a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. He gives me a weak smile and nods at me.

"Seeya kid." I tell him.

"See you Ponyboy." He says. Me and my brothers walk out of the hospital and down the street.

"You guys want to go back to Benny's?" I ask them.

"Sure. Can we take a cab though? I've always wanted to take a cab in New York." Soda says. I shrug and yell at the nearest cabbie. We get in the cab and ride to Benny's. When we get to the building everyone is there standing over the couch. I walk in there and see that Isaac is lying on the couch bleeding and broken. His lip is busted open, both eyes blackened, his shirt was off revealing the cuts and gashes on his chest, and his pant leg was rolled up showing the bruises from someone kicking him. I lean down to him.

"Who did this? Isaac who did this to you?" I ask him furious. He mutters something and I lean down closer to hear him.

"Tyler and Tomas." He says before passing out. I kick the coffee table. Blade comes in from the bathroom holding the first-aid kit. I turn to Darry.

"Darry could you give us a hand?" I ask him. He nods and starts to give Isaac stitches. The rest of the gang goes into the very small kitchen. It's only me, Blade, Isaac, and my brothers in the living room now. After we get Isaac stitched up I pick him up and take him into my room. I've gotten stronger over the last two years, maybe as strong as Darry. I go back into the living room and look at the gang.

"What happened?" I nearly shout. They all look scared. They should be. I was in no mood for games. Garrett jumps off the counter and looks at me timidly. "We found him in the alley behind the bar. We brought him here. Then you showed up." He says. I nod and get the six pack out of the frig. I go into the living room and give one to Darry, Soda, and Blade. I drink half of mine in the first sip. Darry and Blade take a swig while Soda just puts his on the coffee table. I sigh and drink the other half of my beer. I look at the clock. 3oclock. I stand up and look at them.

"I'll be back later." I say. "I need to be alone." I say to Soda as he gets up. I walk out the door, down the steps, and out the building. I keep walking until I get to the cemetery behind the church that Alex and her parents went to. I went to her parents graves and found her headstone. It was modest but beautiful, just like her. It was white with her name date of birth and date of death. There was a simple message at the bottom

'We Will Miss You- Taken To Young'

I knew how painful it must have been for Blade to do this. Me and my brothers could barely do it. We finally chose this for our parents. 'Gone Too Soon.' And they really were gone to soon. Darry was taking classes while working to get a degree, mom wasn't even 45 yet.

I knelt in front of Alex's grave and traced the letters that made up her name. A-L-E-X-A-N-D-R-A M-A-R-I-A M-O-N-T-O-N-E-L-L-I-E

"Hi, Baby." I say looking at her grave.

"Um…huh... You must be thinking what an idiot I am right now. I need to tell you something, Alex. Yesterday, we had a rumble and Wyatt got hurt. He's in the hospital and not doing so good. I know that you probably want to kill me for not taking care of him, and I don't blame you. I miss you a lot. I never thought about you getting killed, always figured it would be me. But it was my fault, and I'm so sorry." I say starting to cry. "I'm so, so sorry Alex. It should have been me, I should have never let you go down there, and I should have let you stay. I love you so much, baby." I'm bawling at this point. "I'll make this up to you and Wyatt. I'm going to kill Tyler Simmons if it kills me. I love you so much Alex." I say bawling over her headstone praying that I could hear her sweet voice or feel her soft hands and arms wrap around me. I'm only meet with the wind blowing and leafs gently slapping against my legs. I lie against Alex's headstone and close my eyes. I fall asleep there dreaming of my Alex.

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	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Pony's POV

I heard voices of somewhat similar people. They sounded drunk and angry, the Assassins. I kept my eyes shut and my breathing even so that they think that I'm asleep.

"Hey, man, look. It's Ponyboy, what the hell is he doing here?" I recognize the voice as Tomas Simmons.

"I don't know man, check to see if he's got any cash on him." The other voice says. I don't know who he is. I sense them reaching into my pockets and I cut the sleeping act and pull out my blade. They jump back and pull out their blades.

"Get away." I growl. They knew that I meant business and put back their blades. I promised Alex that I would avenge her death and I would but, Tomas has nothing to do with this. I walk away and get on the sidewalk. I keep walking east into Assassins territory. I knew that Tyler would be here now. He always goes back to his place after beating the life out of someone. I knew where he lived so I walked there letting the sheet of anger and hate cover me again. I walk up the steps to his apartment and when I get to the door I pause. I look in the peep hole and see Tyler sleeping on the couch no one else in the room. I pick the lock and walk in quietly.

I get over to the couch and pull out my blade. I put it to his chest and smile. Alex would be okay, now. So would Isaac, and Wyatt and Blade and my family. I press the blade to his stomach and he stirs. I cut his stomach with the tip of the blade. The blood seeps through and Tyler wakes up. His eyes pop open and he jumps up. He pushes me down and pulls out his blade. We tumble around knocking over things and breaking beer bottles. I finally get my leverage and get on top of Blade. I put my blade to his neck.

Blade's POV

It's been an hour and Ponyboy hasn't come back. I know that he wants to kill Tyler Simmons but I would hope that he had more sense than that. I waited another half hour and put on my jacket. Soda jumps up and looks at me, that _I'm coming with you and you can't do nothing about it look. _ I nod and both of the Curtises follow me. We walk into their territory and I turn to them.

"You guys got a blade on you?" I ask them. The last thing I need is more bloodshed on my watch. Soda nods and Darry shakes his head. I give him mine and keep walking we get to Tyler's apartment and hear struggling. I open the door and see Ponyboy on top of Tyler Simmons, his blade on Tyler's neck. I tackle Ponyboy and hold him to the ground while Darry and Soda hold Tyler Simmons to the ground.

"Damn it Blade, let me go!" he screams wildly kicking his legs trying to get out of my grasp. I elbow in the head and he goes down. Darry does the same to Tyler and goes over to his brother. He holds him up looking at his face. Soda goes over to him holding Ponyboy's hand. Darry picks Pony up and carries him out of the apartment. When we get back my place Darry lays Pony on the couch and puts his head in his lap. Only Isaac was here before we left, the rest of them went to beat some Assassins butts. I looked at Ponyboy even in sleep not peaceful. I hated seeing him like this, even though Alex was my sister, he took her death the hardest. They were part of each other, like if one went one way gravity would pull the other to them. The only thing that I know that could make Ponyboy better is to go back home. I'll try to convince him, but it's up to him. Pony tossed and turned in Darrel's lap. Soda stroked his hair and tried to calm him down. I can tell how close they were before Pony left. I wish that he could see that none of this was his fault.

"Hey…Blade, can I get some Aspirin?" I turn to see Isaac leaning against the doorway. He looks like he's about ready to fall. I jump up and go over to him, holding him up and leading him to the couch.

"Yeah, sure. How ya felling, Eyes?" I ask him opening the cabinet grabbing the painkillers. I grab a Pepsi out of the frig and give them to him.

"Like I got hit by a truck, but I'll be fine." He says smiling. I nod and go sit back down. Isaac looks at Ponyboy and his brothers.

"Is he okay? He didn't get jumped did he?" Isaac asks frantic.

"He's fine. He actually tried to kill Tyler Simmons when we found him." Soda says. Isaac nods and leans his head back. The whole gang really needs a break. Isaac looks up again.

"How can things get worse?"

**Review, sorry for long update. More to come really soon, I promise!**


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Pony's POV

Waking up in Darry's lap was mortifying. How was I suppose to explain how they found me in Tyler's place? So I stayed silent while they interrogated me.

"What where you doing there, Ponyboy?" Darry asks me again. I get up and walk over to the frig to get a beer. When I sit back down Soda tries to take the beer away from me I give him my infamous death glare.

"You're too young to be drinking Pone." He says trying to be nice and take the beer away from me.

"You need to butt out, Soda." I say icily. He looks hurt but backs off, however Darry didn't.

"Soda's right Ponyboy. You need to be drinking at sixteen." He says standing up and going to me I chug down half the bottle before he can even grab it just to piss him off. He grabs the bottle from me and I roll my eye then lean my head back. Isaac pats my leg and hands me his beer when Darry isn't looking. I take a swig and just dump the rest down my throat. I want to get some more and I think Isaac gets my drift so he limps up and hobbles over to the frig and grabs the six pack, then hides it behind the couch. Darry and Soda keep talking in low voices. They finally turn to me.

"Ponyboy, we want you to come back to Tulsa with us." Darry says bluntly. I lean my head back and roll my eyes. I guess I showed have seen this sooner, but I didn't think about it. Soda comes over on the side of the couch that Isaac isn't sitting on.

"Pony, we want you home. Don't you want to come back home?" he asks me in that voice that he use to use to get me to do anything. I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts and think of the ways I could end Simmons life.

"Ponyboy, I..No we need you back in our lives." Darry says. "Life has been sad since you left home. Please come back." He says tears in his eyes. The last time I saw Darry cry was when I got back from Windrixville. The tears roll down his cheeks and he brushes them away annoyed. I look down ashamed, I was so stupid. I keep hurting the people I love. Especially Alex, I made her cry more than Blade did….

"_Why are you such a jerk?" she screams at me. I keep drinking the whiskey, the anniversary of parent's death and I was completely wasted. Me and Alex had just started dating and I wanted her to go away._

"_Why don't you just get out!" I scream at her. She leaves the room and goes into her room. I start to bawl and keep thinking about how much I want to die. I go into Blade's room and grab the gun he keeps in the lock box. I sit on the bed still holding the gun taking another sip of the whiskey. I put the gun to my head still bawling and close my eyes. I sigh and pull back the hammer. I put my fingers around the trigger and start to pull it back. _

"_What the hell are you doing?" Alex tackles me pulling the gun out of my hands. The gun skids over to the end of the room while Alex pins me to the bed. I keep crying while she holds me like I hold her. She starts to cry like me. Sobbing, tears spilling down her cheeks. She holds me and I pull her close knowing Alex is all I need…. _

"Ponyboy, will you come back home?" Soda asks his eyes filling with tears. I can't hurt them anymore, no matter what that dream meant, I still had something to hold onto. The phone rings, Blade gets up to get it. I ignore Blade and turn to my brothers.

"Yeah, sure I'll come home." I say quietly. Soda and Darry smile coming over to me engulfing me in a bear hug each. I let them hold me. Blade clears his throat coming back into the living room.

"Guys that was the hospital, Wyatt died about an hour ago."

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	20. Chapter 19

**142 Reviews! Oh my gosh, I love you guys! You guys make my day, sorry for the long updates lately; it's been a rough few days. Here we go!**

Chapter 19

Darry's POV

"Guys that was the hospital, Wyatt died about an hour ago."

I look at Ponyboy who was still in my arms. He pulls back from me looking at Blade. The look that he gives Blade was one of horror, disbelief, anger, hate, and vengeance. The look of Dallas Winston. I place my hand on his arm, he turns to me giving me that same look but now he has tears in his eyes.

"I'm going to kill him." He says so quietly I could barely hear him. He stands up, wipes his eyes, and goes into Blade's room. Me and Soda follow him, Blade and Isaac to stunned from Wyatt's death to move, into Blade's room. Pony is stuffing something into his pants and relocking the lock box.

"What are you doing Ponyboy?" Soda asks him looking at the bulge coming from the side of Pony's jeans.

"Ending it." He says bitterly. He walks, no nearly runs, out of the room and out the door. After what happened just a few seconds ago, me and Soda both knew what he meant by 'ending it.', or so we thought. We ran out of the apartment and went sprinting down the stairs. Pony heard us coming down the metal steps so he ran faster than we ever could. When Pony ran, nobody could catch him. When we got out of the building we saw him getting in a cab, the cab zooming away. We got the nearest cab and told him to follow Pony.

"Oh, God, Darry, what if we don't get to him in time? What if he kills the guy? Oh, God, Pony could get killed, or hurt, or…"

"Soda, calm down!" I whisper to him. The cab driver was listening to us, and the last thing I needed him to do was call the cops. When the cab that Pony's in stops at some bar, we pull out, pay the cabbie, and run to the bar.

_**Bang, Bang, Bang!**_

The gunshots could be heard from the entire block. I opened the door and saw men and women against the walls or huddled under tables, cowering in fear from the shooter. In the middle of the room was my youngest brother holding the gun up in the air yelling at the same boy that he had tried to kill just hours ago. Soda tries to step out towards Ponyboy, but I hold him back.

"Ponyboy." I say calmly. He turns around pointing the gun at me. He relaxes a bit then tenses up again.

"What are you doing here Darry?" he asks. His voice was cold and emotionless. Just like Dallas's had been the night he called the house before he got shot.

"I could ask you the same question." I say stepping towards him. He pulls back the hammer of the gun pointing it at me.

"Ponyboy, you don't want to do this." Soda says.

"Sit down against the wall." He says. Soda refuses to move so I have to push against the wall he slides down to the floor. Pony goes behind the bar and finds a bottle of Jack Daniels. He grins bitterly and turns to Tyler.

"You know, Alex didn't drink much, only sometimes. When she did though, she would only drink Jack Daniels. Said that she didn't like anything else. And of course Wyatt never got to drink; me and Alex never let him get drunk. He never got to, because someone some bastard ended his life before he ever got to live it. He was only twelve, Tyler." He says pointing the gun at Tyler while cracking the neck of the bottle against the wall. He took a sip of it.

"Look man, I didn't kill Wyatt that was Tomas. If you got a problem with someone, go to him. Cause…"

"Shut up! You didn't think that anyone would care if you just killed some innocent street kid like some piece of trash. He had a sister and friends that cared about him. You hid the coke in the bar and got Alex kill because of it. She had some much going for her, she was kind and sweet and good…" his voice started to crack. "She had a brother and an uncle and a boyfriend who loved her. She even might have been pregnant." I gasp. Ponyboy chuckles and turns to me.

"Yeah, Dare. About a month ago me and Alex got really drunk and did it. Next few weeks she started to feel sick and was tired. I thought the worst, I took her to some doc, but he wouldn't look at her. Said that it was her fault for getting knocked up. We went to the library and saw that she had the symptoms to a tee. Then a few weeks later she said that she got her period. I knew she was lying, but I didn't say anything. I wanted her to come to terms to it. We went to the bar the next day. Then this bastard got her killed." He says tears running down his cheeks.

"But you said that you and Alex never had sex." Soda says standing back up.

"It was only once. I can barely remember it, we were so drunk. It was her birthday and we weren't thinking straight. I won't ever forgive myself for what I did to her and that baby. There are two people to blame for Wyatt's and Alex's deaths. One of them is Tyler." He says pointing the gun right in Tyler's face. Tyler's face was a piece of stone.

"Ponyboy, you don't want to do this." I say. I want to tackle him and take the gun away from him and hold him. I wanted my sweet baby brother back, the one who would want to play football with me, the one who would smile when I would walk in the door from work, the one who would laugh when me and Soda would tickle him in the morning to wake him up.

He looked at me and smiled a bitter smile.

"I just wanted him to know that somebody cared." He says. He points the gun at his head and pulls back the hammer.

"See ya guys."

_**Bang.**_

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	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Pony's POV

_Alex was crying on the edge of our bed. I went into the room and put my arms around her._

"_Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?" I asked her, I haven't seen her this upset in awhile. She looks up at me, her eyes bloodshot. _

"_Remember about three weeks ago, after we got back from Tommy's? And we came back here?" she asks stopping the flow of tears from her eyes. I think and remember how drunk we were, we came home, got into bed, then… Oh God._

"_Yeah, you aren't..?" _

"_I'm late." She says starting to cry again. I hold her closer putting her head on my shoulder. A baby, wow. I was scared out of my mind, how were we going to take care of a baby. We sat there for while, me holding Alex, letting her shook my shirt with her tears. _

_We walk into the free clinic waiting for hours to be seen. When we finally get called the doctor makes us wait for another hour before coming to look at Alex_

"_It's her fault for getting knocked up .Now get out of here. I have more patients to see."_

"_You're going to leave me now." She says again holding me close like I'm going to disappear. I pull her away from my shirt, looking her in the eye._

"_Alexandra, listen to me. I am never going to leave you. I'm not going to be some deadbeat dads who leave their kids. I would propose to you right now, get on my knee and have you marry me. I would quit school all together, get a good job, and move us out of here. I would make sure that our baby went to a good school, and I would hold you close every night, knowing that you were the mother of my child. I will be the best daddy ever. I love you, Alex, and this baby."_

_She starts to cry again, but this time, they are tears of joy. She squeezes my neck holding me as close as she could. I lay us down on the bed holding her close. I put one of my hands on her stomach, knowing that I would be a good dad._

"_Ponyboy, I have something to tell you." Alex says for inside our room. I was talking to Wyatt about why he can't have any beer .I go into our room and sit down on the bed next to Alex. I give her my devil smile and pin her on the bed. She laughs pushing me off her._

"_What do you need to tell me?" I ask her lying beside her. She grabs my hands lacing our fingers together. _

"_I got my period today, so I'm not pregnant." She says lying through her teeth. I raise my eyebrows._

"_You did?" I ask her._

"_I did, so we don't have to worry about anything." She says with finality. _

_She gets up and leaves the room._

"_What do you want for breakfast?" she asks from the kitchen. I sigh and let Alex lie. She'll come to terms with it on her own time._

Soda's POV

_**Bang **_

Me and Darry ran to Ponyboy while the other people in the bar fled not wanting to be involved if the cops came. I put Pony's head in my lap sobbing over the loss of my baby brother. Darry kneels by his side taking Pony's wrist in his hand. His eyes light up.

"Soda, help me get him up." He says taking one arm of Pony's.

"What?" I ask him confused. Pony was dead.

I looked at his head where he shot himself. It was bleeding a little, but wasn't gushing out blood. I put my fingers under his nose and fell the air coming out. I gasp then start to laugh. I grab Pony's other arm lifting him up with Darry. We walk out of the bar, Ponyboy in our arms. I hear the sirens coming and we walk faster. We get to the apartment walking Ponyboy up the stairs. Blade and Isaac are still sitting where they were when we left. Blade sees us and jumps up. He grabs Pony's legs and puts him on the long couch. Isaac gets up and moves to the floor. He was still hurt form the beating that he got.

Darry crouches down to Ponyboy's level. He runs he fingers lightly over the bleeding.

"What happened?" Blade asks getting a wet cloth. He gently puts it over the bleeding getting it to stop.

"He went to the bar and went on a shootout rampage. He shot himself, but I guess he missed. We got him back here." Darry says his voice cracking. Darry's cried more this week more than he has in a year.

"What? God, he finally broke. Even Ponyboy's got his braking point." Isaac says. That got me. I turned to him not wanting to hurt him even more.

"Look, that's none of your business, he's coming home, and he'll get better." I say. He nods and sits on the other side of my youngest brother. I look at Darry and nod towards Blade. He deserves to know. Darry looks at Blade.

"Um… Blade, before Ponyboy shot himself, he uh.. he said that Alex was pregnant." He says. Blade pales and looks sick. He runs to the bathroom and I hear retching sounds. I go in there and see him vomiting in the toilet. I hold him up as he starts to sob. He puts his head in his hands as he cries for his sister and her baby. He looks up at me.

"She was pregnant? No, no, how could she? Oh, God." He sobs uncontrollably. I put my hands on his shoulder and he keeps crying.

"It's okay. It'll be alright." I tell him.

"Did she know whose baby it was?" he asks looking up at me. "Please tell me it was Ponyboy's."

"It was. The baby was Ponyboy's." I say trying to make him feel better. He nods and closes his eyes.

"I didn't like them sharing a bed together, but at least he wouldn't have run out on her." He says almost to himself.

"Hey guys! Pony's waking up." Isaac shouts.

**Please Review.**


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Pony's POV

My head hurt. It stung and smarted with a vengeance. The headache that I had already had was growing more and more painful. I felt dizzy and sick. Someone or something was shaking me, trying to get me to open my eyes. I didn't want to; I could already feel the light stinging my eyesight.

"Come on Runner, wakey wakey!" I heard Isaac say in that annoying voice he would use to get me to wake up.

"Uh… Go away!" I mumble holding my head. I feel someone put their fingers on my forehead rubbing my temples. Then strong hands lift me up, and I feel sick. I open my eyes and see my brothers Isaac and Blade. Soda sees my face turning green goes into the bathroom, grabs the wastebasket, and holds it in front my face as I throw up into it. As I finish I lean back against the couch sighing. Soda sits next to me rubbing my shoulder.

"Why'd you did it Pony?" he asks me.

"I don't know, I just gave up." I say closing my eyes. Darry sits on the other side of me taking my chin in his hand. I look him in the eye.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis, don't you ever say that again. Don't give up. You are coming back to Tulsa with me and Soda tomorrow after I get done with work. We'll go back to our old life. Soda's nineteen, so the state doesn't cheek in on us anymore. Everything will be fine." Darry tells me rubbing the back of my head.

I don't know why the gun didn't kill me, I wish it had. Johnny, Dallas, Alex, Mom, Dad, Wyatt, and my baby were dead because of me. I thought that when I left that all my problems back home would go away and never haunt me again, but life always comes back to bite you in the butt one way or another. I felt the tears roll down my cheeks and hear Blade and Isaac leave the room. I was thankful to them. I didn't want them to see my cry. But I couldn't help it; Alex was pregnant with my child. I wanted nothing more than to have her back, seeing her hold our baby when I came home from work. I meant what I said to her, as soon as I knew that we were going to have a baby, I already loved him. Or her, I'll never know now. I felt the tears filling my eyes and my headache growing worse. Then I realized that I was leaving tomorrow. I was abandoning her and our child, what I said I would never do. I was leaving her in New York while I was living in Tulsa.

"I'm sorry." I say quietly so my brothers won't hear me. They mutter something that I can't hear, and then they help me up to my feet. I'm blinded by my headache as Darry and Soda help me down the stairs and down the street. They get a cab and slide me in the middle. I put my head on Soda's shoulder and my hand on Darry's leg. When the cab stops at their hotel they help me out as I am blinded by the sunlight from my headache, now turning into a full blown migraine. We get to their room and Soda helps me on the bed as Darry slips my shoes off. I hear a zipper opening and the bathroom sink going. Soda pushes a glass of water and some pills into my hand. I take them gratefully swallowing down the pills with the water. Soda and Darry sit by me as I drift off to sleep. I felt the bed shift and Soda is lying down next to me falling asleep to. I open my eyes a bit and see the clock against the wall. 11:39, it was getting late and we all had a long day.

After about an hour of mindless chatter and talking we all went to bed. But no matter how hard I tried to sleep I couldn't, I was beyond tired but I couldn't sleep. Soda noticed and started to rub my back in slow circles. He use to do this when we shared a bed when I couldn't sleep. I gave into him, curling into a ball in his side. He put his arm around me holding me tight against him.

"It's good to have you back, Pony." He whispers into me as I drift of into sleep.

Darry's POV

When I wake up I look over to my brothers. Pony was curled into Soda, and Soda had an arm around Pony, as if protecting him for something. I groaned and sat up. I didn't want to disturb them so I quietly get on my cloths and head out to the meeting that brought me and Soda here to New York. I went down to the parking garage and got in the rental car. I drove to the Dakota Building where we have been having the meetings. The meetings were about some merger between our company and some guy here in New York wanting cheep shingles. Boring, but it's better than breaking my back roofing. At least when I do this I get to show that I am smart and not some idiot roofer who dropped out college.

After about half an hour of greetings and small talk we started talking about the merger. We finally reached an agreement three hours later. We all shook hands and I went to call my boss.

"Hey Mr. Harris. We settled on seventy-five a shingle. They ordered 5000 so far, so that's about $3750 dollars, not including the cost to ship it out here." I tell him.

"_Good job Darrell. You really got them to settle on seventy-five huh? Wow, that's twice of what I have hoped for. Thank you, you ready to fly back home?" _

"Yes sir. Sir I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?"

"_Anything for you Darrell my boy." _I liked Harris, he could be a hard ass, but he was a good man.

"Could you get me an extra plane ticket for the ride back to Tulsa?"

"_Well, this is unexpected, but sure. Mind if I ask why you would want an extra ticket?"_ he asks confused.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you sir." I say rubbing the back of my head.

"_Try me."_

"You know my brother who ran away about two years ago?"

"_You found him in New York!" _he laughs into the phone.

"Yes, sir. I did, so would you mind getting us that ticket. We have to leave in a few hours." I say.

"_Of course. Have a nice flight Darrell, see you next Friday." _

"Wait sir, I thought that I had to come back to work on Wednesday." I say confused.

"_I'll give you a week with him. Goodbye Darrell." _ And with that he hangs up the phone.

Wow, this is turning out pretty nice. I thought as I got into the rental. I drove back to the Alex Hotel and found Ponyboy still conked out from the pill I gave him. It was a muscle relaxer, I figured he needed it. He looks like he hasn't slept good in weeks. Soda was pulling on his jeans when I walked in. I looked at the clock. It was nearly 10oclock.

"Did you just get up?" I ask him laughing.

"No, I got up around nine and watched T.V for awhile. I'm just now getting dressed." He says pulling on a shirt. I nodded and took off my tie.

"Are we going to take Ponyboy to say goodbye to his gang. I mean they've been his family for the last two years Darry, we have to." I look at him and sigh. I just wanted to make a clear brake and leave, but Soda was right.

"Yeah, but we have to hurry along with it. Our plane leaves at four." I say going over to Ponyboy. I shake him gently.

"Hey, come on now… Time to wake up kiddo, rise and shine." He groans and rolls onto his side.

"Go… Away….Darry." he moans. I chuckle and go into the bathroom. I fill up the glass of water that was in here from the previous night. I go back to Pony and dump it on his face. He jumps up, swears at me, then gets up.

"Why?" he asks me pulling on his shirt.

"Because, it's fun. Hurry up, we're going to go say goodbye to your friends and get on the plane." I tell him. He nods and puts on his jeans.

After about twenty minutes we get to Blade's apartment. The ones that were there when Wyatt was stabbed were there and so were a few others.

Pony's POV

I say goodbye to Rich first. He gives me a quick but meaningful hug and a playful punch in the shoulder.

"See ya man. Take care." He says I nod and move on to Paulie.

He grips me into a half second bear hug and then lets me go. He messes up my hair and gives me another hug.

Isaac was the one who let his emotions out the most. He pulled me into a death grip hug and was choking the life out of me. He had a few tears and kept smothering me.

"Be strong Isaac." He says to himself. I roll my eyes and pat him on the back. I turn to say goodbye to Blade, but Isaac grabs me again.

"I don't want you to go!" he cries out. I laugh and pat his head.

"I'll miss you too buddy." I say. He lets go of me and nods. He wipes his eyes and turns.

"I need a moment." He says. I smile and go to Blade. He nods and gives me a hug and ruffles up my hair. He breaks the hug and hands me a stack of pictures.

"They were Alex's. She would want you to have them." He says looking at me. I nod.

"Thanks man." He hugs me again and pats me on the back. I nod into his shoulder.

"You did the right thing." I nod understanding his meaning. I go back into my and Alex's old room and go into the closet. We kept a few private things in there. Pictures of Alex I wouldn't let anyone else see. Hey she gave them to me for my birthday last year. I grabbed her cross necklace from the box we kept our special things in and put it in my pocket. I got it for her for her birthday and I wanted to keep a part of her.

I went back to my brothers and nodded. I waved and hugged goodbye to the people I have considered my family for the past two years. I would miss them, but it was better this way. I knew that this is how Alex would have wanted it. We drive in the car back to the hotel, but we drive past something so important to me, I won't dare leave without saying goodbye.

"Darry go back. Go back to that church." I tell him. He turns to look at me.

"Why?"

"It's just something I have to do." He shrugs his shoulders and turns around. I get out of the car. Soda puts his hand on my shoulder.

"You want us to go with you, Pone?" he asks nicely.

"No, this is something I have to do on my own.

"Alright."

I walk into the cemetery to Alex's grave. I kneel down and touch the face of the headstone.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm going back home, to be with my brothers. I wanted to say goodbye to you." I say choking up with tears. "I'm going to miss you, Alex. Remember the night when I came? You were mad at me because I was eating your potato chips. Then we stayed up all night talking about nothing? I'm going to miss you, every second for the rest of my life. I know that you said that you didn't know what you did to get a guy like me, but really Alex, I have no idea what I did to deserve you. You were perfect, in every since of the word. I'll miss you." I say crying now. I saw the sky open up and a beam of sunlight came down on me. I could have sworn that I could feel Alex putting her arms around me.

**Please Review. **

**P.S, yes I did have Sodapop only in his boxers just for girls who still fantasize about Rob Lowe at 17, or guys what ever floats you boat. **


	23. Chapter 22

**Hey peps! What be happening? I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews and the support! Also, I've been kinda down lately because my first story EVER on Fanfiction hasn't been getting that many reviews, so please make me happy, if you care about Soda getting shot. Don't think I won't do it.**

Chapter 22

Darry's POV

Soda and I waited patiently, or I was waiting patiently Soda was bouncing his legs up and down the entire time, for Ponyboy in the car for about twenty minutes before we thought about going into the church and making sure that he was alright. Soda was all for going in for him, but I made him stay here with me. I knew that Pony needed to be alone with his thoughts. For whatever reason he needed to be in this church, I was going to let him if it helped him heal. After thirty minutes I looked at Soda and nodded. He opened the door and waited for me to follow him.

We walked into the church. It was a small very simple building with about twenty pews, a podium for the preacher, and a white cross nailed to the wall directly behind the podium. I looked around for him in one of the pews or in front of the cross but I couldn't see him. Mom and Dad always had us go to church nearly every Sunday. I didn't mind so much, it was only an hour long and I could listen to the pastor for that long. Sodapop on the other hand couldn't sit still for ten minutes let alone an hour. Mom would always have him sit between her and Dad, Mom having her hands on his legs keeping them from tapping the ground. Dad always had the same look that I had on, staring intently at the pastor with a look of interest, but on the inside counting down the minutes till church was over and we could go home and eat the Sunday dinner that Mom had made us. Ponyboy liked going to church he sat by Mom every service and paid close attention. He was still at that age where he would like to sit for an hour listening about the bible and how we should behave. He still was innocent and I knew that he should have hung on to that as long as he could. He was only thirteen then.

"Ponyboy! Where you at?" Sodapop hollers. I look around and see a door at the side of the wall halfway opened. I nudged Soda.

"Look over there." I say pointing to the door. He walks over to it, I follow him. The door leads to a cemetery. It was one of those cheaper graveyards that was well kept but was for those of the middle class or poor people. I see a figure knelling in front of a white headstone, the sunlight coming down on him.

Ponyboy.

Soda and I walk over to him quietly. Sodapop puts a hand on Pony's shoulder, Pony looked up at him. There are tears running down his face. I knell down next to him putting my hand on his arm. He grabs it and holds it there. I read the inscription on the white face.

Alexandra Maria Montonille

May 2, 1953 – May 27 1969

We Will Miss You – Taken To Young

He wanted to say goodbye to Alex. She must have been something special, everybody said that she basically held the gang together. I look at my brother again. The tears on his face aren't sad tears or even ones of pain; they're tears of peace and letting go. I give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. He looks at me and gives me a sad smile.

"You ready to go Pone?" I ask him softly.

"Yeah. Sorry for taking so long." He says quietly.

"You don't have to apologize about that ever, Pony." I tell him. I stand up and offer him a hand. He takes one last look at the headstone, then takes my hand and we all leave the graveyard arm in arm.

Soda's POV

Being back on the plane was torture! I had to sit in the middle of Darry and Ponyboy, seeing how now that I'm the smallest! I still can't believe that my kid brother is so much bigger than me, he also has my good looks. I'm not ashamed to admit that I have the body of a god. Or so I have read. After about a month or two after Ponyboy ran away, I found his theme that he wrote for his English class. It was great, but I couldn't help laugh when I read the part about 'Movie star Good looks'. I knew that I was good looking, but it's just funny to read about it yourself.

Ponyboy was a great mix of me and Darry. He was tall and strong like Darry, while he had my facial features with his own few special features mixed in. His hair was losing its redness and becoming browner like Dad's, but his eyes were still greenish-gray. He became a pretty good looking guy, not including one nasty looking scar running down from his ear lobe to his chin. He started to notice me looking at it.

"Take a picture it lasts longer Sodapop." He says his eyes closed. He was looking green ever since we got in the air. I chuckle and pat his knee. Darry smirks and looks down the aisle for the third time.

"What are you looking at Darry?" I ask him looking back there for myself. The only thing back there was some people sleeping and the stewardess, oh no I get it.

"You're checking that stewardess out." I say smiling. Darry rolled his eyes and went back to the magazine that he was reading. I wanted to make this flight better than the last one, so I decided to have some fun. I hit the call button right above Darry. As soon as Darry heard the little ding, he gave me his famous 'You're dead' glare. The stewardess came back; she has long pretty brown hair with gray eyes.

"Yes Sir, may I help you?" she asks in a pleasant voice.

"Yes, could you get us some Ginger Ale?" I ask her. She smiles and nods going back to get the drink. I smile at Darry and he grunts. I look back at Ponyboy; his face was white with a green tint.

"You doing okay there Ponyboy?" I ask him. The response I get is him covering his mouth and running to the bathroom. I look back at Darry and he raises his eyebrows.

"You want to go check on him, or do you want me to?" he asks ready to get up.

"I got him." I say getting up. I go down the aisle and knock on the bathroom door. The three of us, the stewardess, and the pilots were the only ones up still. It was about 10oclock at night, and everyone figured that it was best to sleep.

"Pony? You okay in there?" I hear him puking. I jiggle the lock until it opens. I open the door to the very small bathroom. Ponyboy is kneeling over the toilet, resealing his stomach into it. I go over to him and hold him up. He stops after a few minutes, exhausted. I pat his back helping him up.

"Come on kiddo; let's get you back to our seats." I tell him. He's shaky and pale. I feel his forehead and it's really warm, but not burning. I help him back to our row. Darry is standing there waiting for us. He helps Ponyboy in the middle seat, putting up the arm rests so Ponyboy can lean on one of us without getting nudged in the side. He leans on Darry while he snuggles his legs close to me. Darry fells his forehead like I did. His eyes darken for a second then calm down again as he brushes his fingers over Pony's forehead. The stewardess comes back with a can of Ginger Ale and looks at Ponyboy.

"Would you like me to get him a bag in case he gets sick again?" she asks handing me the soda. I nod and open the tab on the soda can. I put the can I his hands, he shakily takes it and sips on it. After about half of it is gone Darry takes it from him. Pony gives him a look.

"Sorry, Pone, but you don't want to get sick from only having fluids in you." He says gently brushing his fingers over our brother's forehead again. The lady comes back with a brown paper bag only fancier looking. I hold on to it until Pony needs it again. Ponyboy keeps getting sick for the rest of the flight. I rub his legs while Darry strokes his forehead. I've missed this, Ponyboy I mean. Just being here and letting me and Darry take care of him. After a while Ponyboy drifts off to sleep and curls into me and Darry even more. I nearly fall asleep until I hear the captain.

"_Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking…. We will be arriving in Tulsa in about ten minutes. Please fasten your safety belts. Thank you for flying with New York Delta. Have a good night and thank you for your time." _

I put my seat belt and sit up. Darry smiles at me as he rubs Pony's head.

"Two-Bit still picking us up?" I ask him.

"No, I figured that he and Steve should see him together. Besides, I don't think that Pony needs that right now, being sick and all."

"You think he's sick, sick, or just air sick?" I ask him.

"I don't think that fevers come from airsickness. Let's just get him home and let him rest." He says sitting up a bit but being careful so that he doesn't wake Ponyboy.

"I can't believe that we got him back Darry." I say smiling.

"Me either." He says.

After about thirty minutes we stand up and stretch getting ready to leave. I lean down to Ponyboy shaking him slightly.

"Time to go, Pone." I say. He groans and opens his eyes.

"Are we out of the air yet?" he asks. I chuckle and nod. He stands then clutches the seat in front of him. I put his arm over my shoulder and help him out of the plane and to the truck that we parked here days ago. Darry has carried the bags and puts them in the bed of the truck. I put Pony by the window and rub his back trying to get him to sleep again. Darry drove us home in silence, but it was a calming silence. After about thirty minutes we get to the house. I get out on Darry's side, go over to Pony's side and carefully open the door. I look at Darry and he nods, understanding what I mean. I grab the bags for the back while Darry carries Pony inside.

"He's getting mighty big to be carried." I say smirking. He nods and sighs.

"I'll carry him anyway." He says. I open the door for Darry. Darry takes him into our old room taking off his shoes and jacket. Darry puts the covers over him and fells his forehead again. I take of my shirt and shoes and put on my night pants. I crawl next to him felling his forehead and realize that it's starting to burn. Darry comes back with the thermometer. Darry lifts Pony's arm and puts it under Ponyboy's armpit. I sit up and wait the minute with Darry.

"What's it say?" I ask as Darry reads the numbers.

"102. Go to sleep Soda, I'll give him some medicine in the morning." He says rubbing the back of Pony's head. I nod and lay back down. Darry leaves and I put my arm around my sick and found brother.

**Please Review. Don't forget to see Roadtrip, or Soda gets it!**

**Me With gun to Soda's head.**

**Soda : Just do what she says!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Thank you for the reviews my friends. But only one of you reviewed Roadtrip, so I'm going to shoot Soda.**

**Me with gun to Soda's head.**

**Soda: NO, No , no, Please! **

**Bang!**

**Soda: She shot me in the frickin' leg!**

Chapter 23

Pony's POV

It was so weird coming back here. I haven't steeped foot in this house since I was fourteen. When I woke up I was in Soda and my old room. Soda had his arm around me, as if I was already hot enough. I wiggled out from his arm and sat up, getting dizzy from it. I put my head in my hands trying to find my center. I felt sick and ran to the bathroom. I threw up for a few minutes. When I finally stopped I lay back against the tub, glad that it was cool.

"You okay Ponyboy?" I look up and see Darry leaning in the doorway, his thumbs hitched in his pockets. He was fully dressed in jeans and a gray tee-shirt with holes in it. He never wore that to work.

"Ain't you suppose to be at work?" I ask him weakly. He comes over and sits next to me testing my forehead.

"I got till Friday until I have to go back. You're awful hot." He says looking concerned.

"You're not too bad yourself." I say grinning. He grunts at me and stands up getting a washcloth. He gets it wet, rings it out, and then puts it over my face. I sigh in relief as the coolness hits my face. Darry sits with me as I get sick again. He gets me a glass of water and rubs my back while I moan over the headache that comes from the fever I have. Darry stands up and offers me a hand.

"Come on kiddo. Let's get you into bed." I take his hand and realize how dizzy I am. The room spins and I nearly fall back to the floor. Darry catches me and puts his arms around my waist. I let him steer me down the hallway to the bedroom. I lay down next to Soda who is still sleeping. I guess he didn't have work either. I lay on my stomach trying to get the light from the windows. Darry notices and closes the blinds, shielding me from the sunlight. Darry leaves the room for a minute and then comes back with a bottle of orange stuff and a glass of water. He sits by me looking sympathetic.

"Sit up so you can take this." I sit up while Darry fills the cap of the bottle with the orange fluid.

"What is that?" I ask him as he holds it up to me.

"Motrin, you had a fever last night and still have one." He says as I sip down the medicine that he holds up to my lips. I take a swig of the water that Darry brought for me. I lay back down and Darry rubs my back as the Motrin makes my stomach feel worse.

"Darry, is my it suppose to make my stomach feel worse?" I ask.

"Kinda, one of the side effects is stomach pain. I know it sucks, but what's important right now is getting that fever down. I probably should check it." He says grabbing a thermometer off the nightstand and puts it under my tongue. He waits a minute before taking it out. I rub my head, hating feeling this weak. I never liked being sick, but what I hated the most is the pity and babying that came with it. I could take the fever, headache, vomiting my guts out, but what I hated is being pitied.

"What's it say?" I ask him still laying down.

"103.1, get some sleep little buddy. You want anything?" he asks me.

"Get me some Ginger Ale, would ya? I need something to settle my stomach."

"Sure, Pone. Be right back." Darry gets up and leaves. I close my eyes while Soda snores in his sleep; I hit him in his side.

"Wh-What? What happened?" he yells bolting up. I snicker. He turns to me and smiles.

"Ponyboy!" he screams grabbing me into a bear hug. I groan at the discomfort from my stomach. Soda lets me go as Darry comes in.

"Take it easy with him, little buddy. Here you go, Ponyboy." He hands me the drink. I sip on it before laying down again. Soda rubs my back and smiles gently at me.

"You want me to stay here with you, kiddo?" he asks me. I shake my head. The last thing I need right now is for Soda to baby me like he did when I was fourteen.

"I'm fine Soda. Go eat breakfast or something." I say. He nods and then rubs my head again before I fall asleep.

Steve's POV

"Get Out! Just get out you bastard!" my dad screams at me.

"Screw you!" I shout as I leave the house. I go down to the Curtis's thinking how much of a jerk my father is. I pulled out a stick and lit up. When I got to the house I went right in. Soda and Darry should be home by now, Two-Bit and I were suppose to pick them up last night, but Darry called Two-Bit and told him that they could drive the truck that they parked there. We didn't think anything of it.

"Anybody here?" I ask loudly so anybody in the house could hear me.

"Yeah, in the kitchen." I hear Soda shout back. I go into the kitchen and see Soda making eggs while Darry is reading the paper.

"Hey guys how was New York? Meet and girls there?" I say to them. Darry raises his eyebrows and looks back his paper while Sodapop pauses for a second then goes back to his eggs.

"What did I say?"

"Nothing, it was just an interesting vacation that's all." Darry says. Soda puts the eggs on a plate and hands it to Darry.

"Hey do you know where Two-Bit is?" Soda asks. Then as if on cue, Two-Bit walks in.

"Hey everybody! How is everybody on this lovely morning?" he walks in grabbing a beer from the frig. Darry rolls his eyes and then smiles. That's odd, Darry smiling at an annoying Two-Bit? Darry seemed awful cheerful this morning. Soda leans against the counter eating his eggs then looks at Darry. Darry clears his throat.

"Guys, we have to tell you something."

Pony's POV

I woke up again from my headache. I weakly called for Darry and Soda. They didn't hear me I guess. I groaned and rolled out of the bed. I rubbed my temples and made my way down the hall.

"Hey can I get some aspirin?" I walk into the kitchen and see, my brothers, Steve and Two-Bit.

Everybody turns to me. Steve's jaw drops in shock, and Two-Bit just stares at me with a blank look. I look at them, remembering the last time that we were all together.

"_Pony, head's up!" I turn to catch the ball and go flying down the lot. Soda and Steve try to catch me, but they can't. I score and Darry lets out a wop! _

"_Good job Pony!" he shouts. I smile knowing that I'll miss him. In three days I was going to be sent to a boy's home. I was going to run away the night before and hop a train to God knows were. Two-Bit laughs as Steve goes flying at him._

"_You idiot! You were supposed to cover him!" Steve tackles Two-Bit. They get into a wrestling match. I laugh as Darry goes to break them apart. Soda sighs putting a hand on my shoulder._

"_You alright Ponyboy?" he asks me. I nod and look down, knowing his meaning._

"_Look, me and Darry will figure something out. Don't worry about it. We'll get you back."_

"Hey guys." I say trying to break the silence. Two-Bit laughs running over to me, nearly knocking me over, and starts to choke the life out of me with his hug. Steve comes over and gives me a hug to. I let my old friends hug me.

"Good to see ya, Ponyboy." Two-Bit says in my ear. I nod. Steve pats me on the back. I laugh, knowing that things could get better now if Steve Randell was hugging me.

**Please Review. **


	25. Chapter 24

**You guys are truly amazing. 175 flippin' reviews! I never thought that this story would ever get 100 let alone 175! This chapter is dedicated to all the anonymous reviews out there. Just because they are anonymous, doesn't mean that they don't get left out. **

I wake up, it's a bad dream

No one on my side

I was fighting

But I just fell to tired to be fighting

Guess I'm not the fighting kind

Wouldn't mind it if you were by my side

But you're long gone

Yeah you're long gone now

-Keane A Bad Dream

Chapter 24

Darry's POV

"Guys we have something to tell you." I say. Both Two-Bit and Steve look up at me.

"What's wrong, Darry?" Two-Bit asks.

"Nothing... Well when we went to New York…" I get interrupted by my youngest brother.

"Hey, can I get some Aspirin?" Ponyboy comes down the hallway holding his head. He looks up at our buddies and stares at them for a few seconds. After about ten seconds he weakly mutters.

"Hey guys." Two-Bit nearly tackles him giving him a hug. Steve joins him hugging him over Two-Bit. Two-Bit says something in Pony's ear and Ponyboy smiles. I smile and silently thank God for letting this go smoothly. After a few minutes of hugging and smiles they break apart. We all go to sit on the couch. Ponyboy rubs his temples; I jump up to get him some Aspirin. I give him the pills and some water. He nods gratefully. One thing I have noticed about Ponyboy, now that he's back, is that he is more soft spoken.

"You've been in New York this entire time?" Steve asks. Ponyboy nods. He has that cool tuff personality that Dallas had, except Pony is calmer.

"What have you been up to?" Two-Bit asks. "Meet any broads?" he jokes. Ponyboy winces, thinking of Alex probably.

"Yeah, yeah I meet one. She was amazing. Her name was Alex." He says quietly looking at the ground.

"We'll do we ever get to meet her?" Two-Bit asks.

"Two-Bit, no." Soda says looking serious. Pony ignores him.

"No, you can't. She was killed a few days ago. You would have liked her though." He says still looking at the floor. I swear I saw I tear fall to the ground.

"Golly, I'm sorry Ponyboy." Two-Bit says.

"Sorry man." Steve mutters.

"It's alright. My fault anyways." Ponyboy says. I go over to him and put my arm over his shoulders. I can feel the heat radiating off his skin. I feel his forehead and sigh. The medicine I gave him didn't do jack. Ponyboy sighs and puts his head in his hands.

"Go lay back down Ponyboy." I tell him softly. He nods and stands up shakily. He drags himself down the hallway down to his and Soda's bedroom. I look at everyone else and they look at me.

"Is he okay, you know emotionally?" Two-Bit asks. I shake my head.

"Alex was his girlfriend, and she might have been pregnant. Another one of his buddies was killed short after. He's been blaming himself like he did with Johnny and Dallas. Steve sighs and Two-Bit cruses. I look at Soda; he has tears in his eyes. I go over to him and pat him on the back.

"He'll be okay little buddy."

Pony's POV

As I lay on my and Soda's bed I started to cry. I felt awful, my stomach hurt like there was no tomorrow, my head was pounding, and I kept getting these cold and hot flashes. But it wasn't the physical pain that I couldn't bear, it was the emotional pain that was killing me inside. The guilt of the deaths of those who I loved, was overbearing. It's like this is some terrible nightmare that I have yet to wake up from. I wanted Alex, my mother, my father, Johnny, Dallas even to be here with me. I wanted to hear my mother's sweet voice cooing me to sleep, my father's comforting embrace around me making me feel safe, Alex's beautiful face calming me so much that I could die, Johnny's presence making me feel at ease, or Dallas's smirking face always letting me know that things could work out. I finally cried myself to sleep.

"_Come on, Ponyboy, it's alright." My mother coos in my ear. I had woken up from a nightmare. Soda had carried me into Mommy and Daddy's room so I could sleep there. I keep crying, I was still scared from the nightmare. Daddy took me from Mommy holding me in his big strong arms. _

"_Do you remember what the dream was about, honey?" Daddy asks me. I shake my head. He rocks me until I fall asleep. _

_Me and Johnny were smoking on the porch outside. Darry Soda, and Steve were at work, Two-Bit was at Buck's, and Dally was in the cooler. Mom and Dad died about a month ago, Darry got custody of me and Soda, Soda dropped out of school, and I was still sad. I just sat there with Johnny smoking and thinking about them. It was getting late. Around 8, Darry had gotten home about an hour ago and Soda around 5. The sun was starting to set._

"_That was pretty." Johnny says. _

"_Yeah, it was."_

_The gang was at the Dingo for my birthday. I didn't want to make a huge production of it, so we just went out to eat. Darry and Soda got me a new pair of running shoes, Two-Bit lifted a six-pack of Pepsi and a switchblade for me, Steve and Johnny put some money together and got me a copy of Oliver Twist, and what really surprised me is when Dally handed me a Playboy magazine when Darry and Soda weren't looking. Two-Bit and Steve thought it was hilarious when my ears went red, while Johnny shot me a sympathetic smile. Soda came over and saw what Dally had given me. He snatched it up and burst out laughing. Darry didn't think it was too funny. Dally was smirking at me the entire time._

_Alex and me were taking a walk in central park. It was almost time for the sunset. I took Alex to the middle of the park so we could see it best. We layed down under a tree holding hands. The mist surrounding the sun was all pretty and golden, with pink highlights streaking through it. Alex never really looked at sunsets. I wanted to show her one._

"_That was beautiful." She whispers as the sun goes down. I kiss her on the side of her head. _

"_Yeah it was." Alex turns to me and kisses me. I hold her, running my hands up and down her sides. She smiles through the kiss. I smile back. Then I swing her over my shoulder._

"_What are you doing?" she laughs at me. I carry her back to Blade's place. Alex was laughing the entire way there. When I go into the apartment, Blade looks at me funny._

"_Uh… Ponyboy. What are you doing?" he says._

"_Nothing." I take Alex back to our bedroom. I throw her on the bed and lock the door. I pounce on her, pinning her on the bed. I kiss her, and she kisses me back. She holds me to her. I stroke her hair gently. We only stop the kiss to come up for air. After about an hour we stop. She lays next to me curling up to my side. I smile at her. That night I couldn't sleep, Alex stayed up with me, muttering sweet things in my ear till I fell asleep curled into her. _

Soda's POV

After the guys left, knowing that we needed space, I went back to check on Ponyboy. He was sweating something fierce, and curled up in a ball, like he was trying to make the pain in his stomach lessen. I sat next to him. His face was a little strained, and then would relax. I rubbed his forehead, feeling the heat coming from it. I saw that he was still in his jeans and long-sleeved tee-shirt from last night. I gently pulled off the shirt and his jeans, leaving him in his boxers. I covered him in a thin sheet and left the room to get Darry.

"Hey Darry, I think Ponyboy needs some more of that medicine. He's still burning up."

Darry nods and goes into the bathroom to get the medication. I go into our room and sit by Ponyboy. He was tossing and turning in his sleep. I rubbed his back and shook him gently. He groans and looks up at me.

"Hey, kiddo, how ya feeling?" I ask him.

"Like I got hit by a truck." He mutters. I rub his head and Darry comes in.

"Hey, little buddy. I need you to take some more Motrin for me, alright. Sit up." Ponyboy weakly sits up, his arms shaky. I go behind him and hold him up. Whatever he had, it was really taking a toll on him. Darry holds up the medicine to his lips as Ponyboy gulps it down. I lay him back down and put his head in my lap.

"Where's it hurt Pone?" I ask nicely.

"My head and stomach." Ponyboy never really admits to pain unless it was nearly unbearable.

"I'll get you some pain meds." Darry says. I can hear him rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"Have you eaten anything funny lately?" I ask him.

"No, not that I know of." He says weakly burying his head in my waist. I rub his temples in a slow but steady motion, like I did the day he broke down over Alex. Darry comes back in with a pill and another pill, but cut in half. He sits next to us. Darry puts a hand on the small of Pony's back.

"Here you go, Ponyboy. These will knock you right out." Darry says. Ponyboy swallows them dry. I gently move him so that he's laying on his back in-between me and Darry. We all fell asleep after awhile.

**Please Review. **

**Also, should I make Ponyboy Flu sick, or hospital sick. I leave this on your hands. **


	26. Chapter 25

**I do not own The Outsiders, S.E Hinton does. But I do own the saying 'No Worms on the Bed'**

Chapter 25

Darry's POV

We all fell asleep in Soda's bed. I rubbed Ponyboy's head with my thumb. He was warm and throwing up every hour. It must be the flu. I drifted off again until I felt motion on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw Ponyboy thrashing and tossing in the bed. Sodapop was dead to the world, so he didn't know that our brother was having a nightmare. I turned to him and shook him slightly. He was muttering things that I couldn't make out.

"It's okay Ponyboy, wake up now, your okay." I whisper to him. He rolls and tosses from this nightmare. I put my arms around him, cradling him.

"Alex! No, don't!" he screams. Soda stirs and turns to us. He sits up and rubs Pony's back.

"Wake up, Pony, it's just a dream." Soda mutters in Ponyboy's ear. Ponyboy starts to buck and gets out of my arms.

"Johnny, Dallas!" he screams. This was one of the worst nightmares yet. I don't know if it was brought on by the fever or just stress. I pulled him upright, shaking him. He opens his eyes, looking confused. He lurches and Soda grabs the trashcan, but it's too late. Ponyboy gets sick all over my lap; Soda gets the bin in front of him before he can get even more sick on me. He gags dry heaving and spitting out bile.

"Darry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…." He chokes out between vomiting.

"It's okay Ponyboy. You didn't mean it. I shouldn't have shook you. I'm gonna go change and get you some more ginger ale." I say gently. The last thing he needs right now is me yelling at him because he got sick on me. It wasn't that bad, it might stain a little, but it was on the knee, I could just rip it out. I go change and go into the kitchen. I look in the frig and see that we are out of ginger ale. I go back into the bedroom where Ponyboy is leaning on Sodapop pale as a ghost and looking weaker than I have ever seen him. I sit on the bed next to him.

"We're out of ginger ale, kiddo, I'm going to go to the store to get some. Will you be alright here with Soda?" I ask him rubbing his head.

"I'll be fine Darry. I ain't a little kid anymore." He says weakly. I smile and nod at him, Ponyboy was always grumpy when he was sick so I let it slide.

I went to the DX to get the ginger ale, when I ran into Tim Sheppard. He was lifting a pack of Camels from the counter when the guy working the counter wasn't looking. I smirked and nudged him in the ribs.

"Hey Darrel. What's going on?" he asks.

"Nothing much, just got back from New York." I say paying for the soda and leaving. He walks with me.

"I heard from Matthews that you found something in the big apple." He says lighting up. I give him a glare.

"Look, I know that you know, but don't go spreading it around. The last thing I need is for the state to find out he's back and take him away. If the state comes knocking on my door any time soon, I'm coming after you." I say pointing a finger at him. He holds his hands up and says calmly.

"I wasn't going to say anything. Just wanted to know when I can see him again." He said going back to his car.

"See ya, Darrel." He says zooming off. I get back in the truck with the twelve pack of ginger ale I just bought and went back to the house. When I got back to the house, I put the soda on the table and go to the bedroom. I found my brothers lying down next to each other. Ponyboy was asleep while Soda was stroking his hair.

"Hey, how is he?"

"He got sick again, but it wasn't nearly as bad. I gave him one of those pills and he went to sleep about ten minutes before you got here."

"Good, he needs it. In a few hours I'll make him some soup, he has eaten in awhile. I don't want him to get dehydrated." Soda nods and goes into the kitchen.

I walk over to the bed and knell down so that I'm at his height. This isn't how I wanted to bring him home, but this is better than nothing. Thank God that gun slipped. I do not know what I would have done if it hadn't. I wish I could be the one who has been going through this pain and not him. He's a good kid, and deservers better. I wish that our parents were here, they were always good with dealing with sick people. Sure, I've taken care of my brother when they had a fever, they were throwing up, the runs, a cold, but I've never seen either of them as sick as Ponyboy is right now. I rubbed his cheek with my thumb, he shivered at my touch. I got up and got a blanket for him. He starts to stir. I bend back down to his level.

"What…. What's going on?" he mutters. I rub his back and Shh him.

"Shh… Pony, go back to sleep. You're sick, you need to rest." I say gently. He shivers again.

"Why is it so cold in here?" he says. I sit next to him and rub his head.

"It's not cold in here, little buddy, you must be having one of those cold flashes."

He groans and holds his head in his hands. "This is hell!" he says. I smile and pat his back.

"I know kiddo, you want me to get you some more Ginger Ale. You can't have anymore pills just yet. We don't want you to overdose on those do you?"

"Fine, sure I could use more Ginger Ale." I nod and go into the kitchen for a can of the soda. I see Soda conked out on the couch. He's snoring and twitching in his sleep. I chuckle and pour the soda over a glass of ice. I go back into the room and see Ponyboy throwing up in the trash can. I put the glass on the dresser and rush over to him. I hold him and the trash can up while he gets sick. When he finishes I grab a tissue from the nightstand and give it to him. He wipes his mouth and spits in the trash can again.

"How do you anything left to throw up, Pone?" I ask him. He lies back down. I go over to him and lay next to him. He puts his head on my shoulder, moaning because of his stomach. I rub his head and sit up.

"Darry, will you stay?" he asks timidly. I smile.

"Sure Ponyboy."

**Please Review.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Very sorry for the long update, I don't like it any more than you do. But the lake called my name it would have been rude to answer. I do not own the Outsiders, S.E Hinton does.**

And She's Everything That I've Ever Wanted

And Everything I Need

I Talk About Her, I Go On And On And On

Cause She's Everything To Me.

-Brad Paisley

Chapter 26

Pony's POV

_Why is it so hot in here?_

I kicked the covers off me and sat up. Darry was asleep next to me, snoring loudly. I rub my head, the headache gone. I stand up shakily and realize that I smell like puke. I go into the bathroom and turn on the shower. I take off my shirt and look in the mirror. My face was cut and had the scars from rumbles, jumping's, fights, and accident. My chest had the scar of the night I was shot on my shoulder. Slashes from knifes and chains run across my stomach and chest. The battle scars from the rumble for Alex were starting to scar over. The cut were Tyler had tried to slit my throat was healing. I took the rest of my clothes off and stepped into the shower.

The warm water felt good against my dirty skin. I haven't showered since the day Darry and Soda found me. I let the water untie the knots in my back and my neck. I washed out my hair and body. I looked for a razor. There were two on the side of the shower, one was blue and the other was green. I picked up the blue one and shaved my face. When I got to New York, I didn't need to shave yet. When I was 15 I woke up one morning and felt the stubble across my cheeks and my chin. Alex noticed it when she kissed me that morning. She smiled when I told her that I didn't know how to shave. After about three hours of arguing, cutting myself with the razor, me bleeding, I finally went to Blade so he could show me how to shave. He was nice about it, but the guys kept joking about me good naturedly. I must have gotten cut more that day than any other fight from that stupid razor. I got done and stepped out. I wrapped a towel around me and went to my room. Darry was up and smiled at me when he saw me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks me testing my forehead.

"Better, not as nauseas or dizzy. The shower helped."

"Good, you want something to eat? You haven't eaten in two days."

"Sure, thanks Darry."

Soda's POV

I woke up on the couch to the smell of bacon. I opened my eyes and sat up. I went into the kitchen and saw my brother's making breakfast for dinner. Ponyboy was sitting on the counter talking to Darry. Darry was cracking up at some story that Ponyboy was telling him. I smile at them.

"Hey guys." I say. They look up. Ponyboy was smiling that smile he use to smile before he left.

"Hey Soda, how many pieces of bacon do you want?" Darry asks.

"Um… four. You feeling better Ponyboy?" I ask him. His color was back and he wasn't scrunching his eyebrows from a headache.

"Yeah, I feel fine. You enjoy your nap?" he asks. I laugh and then nod. Darry gets three plates out and hands one to each of us. He gives us the eggs and bacon he made and we go sit at the table.

"What no toast?" I say. Darry smiles and rolls his eyes. Ponyboy scarf's down the food and drinks the chocolate milk.

"Slow down, Pone. You're going to choke on the food faster than your going to eat it." Darry says. I eat my eggs and realize how much I've missed this. Just the three of us, hanging out eating the dinner that Darry made us. I guess the saying 'You don't know what you got till it's gone.' Is exactly right. I didn't realize how much these things mean to people till they're taken away. We ate dinner and then went to the living room to watch TV. We watched The Munsters until it was about midnight. We said goodnight and went to bed.

I put my arm around Ponyboy and thought about how bad it was going to suck when I had to go back to work tomorrow. After about twenty minutes Ponyboy's breathing became light and soft. I knew he went to sleep.

Pony's POV

I went to bed with Soda. He put his arm around me, as if shielding me from the nightmares I have. I don't mind it that much. I fell asleep and that night when I had a dream I didn't have a nightmare. It was the first good dream that I've had in a long time.

_Alex was upset with me. Our school was having one of those stupid dances, she wanted to go, and I didn't. I wasn't going to go. Alex was giving the silent treatment. But what she didn't know is that I had something to make it up to her. The night of the dance Alex was watching TV with Paulie and Wyatt. I went up behind her from the couch and kissed her cheek. She turned around to me. _

"_Can I help you?" she asks. She wasn't that mad at me anymore. Just mad that we would be bored that night while her girlfriends would be having fun at the dance. _

"_Make yourself pretty and put on that blue dress that you know I like so much. I have something planed for us tonight." _

"_Are we going to the dance?" she asks confused. _

"_You'll find out soon enough. Now go get ready!" I tell her. Alex smiles and pecks me on the cheek. I sit down on the couch next to Paulie. _

"_What are you doing?" he asks smirking at me._

"_Nothing. I just want Alex to have a good night. I just don't want to go to some dumb high school dance." I say putting my feet on the coffee table._

"_Does Blade know about this?" He asks me._

"_What Blade doesn't know won't hurt him." _

_We watch TV for thirty minutes until we hear Alex clear our throat from behind us. We all turn to look at her. Alex was beautiful with just a pair of my jeans and a ripped up tee-shirt, but right now she looked like an angel. Her brown hair was down curled over her shoulders, right above her chest. The dress, which use to be her mother's, went down to the middle of her thighs. It was blue with wide straps and no shelves. Her eyes were so enchanting from the very small amount of make-up she put on. Her face was dreamy, her freckles barely showing. _

"_How do I look?" she ask putting her arms out. I get up and kiss her._

"_You look beautiful. Ready to go." I say putting my arm out. She takes it and lets me lead her out of the building. We hail a cab and ride to Central Park. She holds my hand the entire time, kissing my hand once or twice. When we get to the park I put my hands over her eyes._

"_What are you doing?" she laughs putting her hands over mine._

"_Just keep your eyes closed." I say. I lead her to the small pond where I set up a picnic. I put candles around the blanket with a small radio. I fixed her favorite, spaghetti with meatballs. It was hard to find her mom's recipe, but I had Benny find it. _

"_Alright open." I whisper to her. I take my hands off her eyes. She gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. I smile and take her hand leading her down to the blanket. She smiles at me through her tears. _

"_Ponyboy, this is incredible. When… How did you….?" I laugh and kiss her._

"_That's my secret. When you wanted to go to that dance, I thought I could do better. So I did." I opened the basket and pulled out the container of spaghetti and garlic bread. She smiles and laughs taking off her shoes. I put her food on a plate and put it next to her. We eat and make small talk. After we get done I turn on the radio, trying to find a good slow song. After a few seconds I find some country song. I stand and hold out my hand to her. She takes it taking my other hand, putting our hands on my shoulder. I put my other hand on her waist, holding her close to me. We hold each other close, swaying holding each others hands. _

"**She's a bubble bath and candles, baby come and kiss me…."**

"_I can't believe that you did this for me." She says quietly. I kiss her forehead._

"_I wanted to, Alex, you are so important to me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I love you so much." I tell her as I breathe in her hair._

"**She's the giver I wish I could be, and the stealer of the covers…." **

"_I love you too. I need you just as much as you need me. I don't know how I got somebody like you, but I'm so glad that I did." She says._

"**She's everything I've ever wanted, and everything I need. I talk about her I go on and on and on. Cause she's everything to me…. She's the voice I love to hear…." **

"_So, are you glad that I didn't take you to that dance?" I ask her. She smiles and kisses me. We stand there for who knows how long_, _swaying and kissing only coming up for air. I hold her close to me. She puts her hands on my back. _

"**Yeah she's everything to me… Everything I ever wanted… And everything I need…."**

I wake with a jolt. Soda sits up and turns on the lamp, rubbing his eyes.

"Bad dream, Pony?" he asks.

"No, it was a great dream."

**Okay, I know that you guys probably want some action, and it should come in next chapter or the one after that. And before you guys say anything…. I know that this song didn't come out till the 21 century, but it's the only song that I could get to work in this part without sounding cheesy.**

**Please Review. **


	28. Chapter 27

**I do not own The Outsiders.**

Chapter 27

Soda's POV

I woke up the next morning with some country song stuck in my head. Ponyboy was dream talking and was singing a song. I didn't know the words to the song, but the tune was stuck in my head. I got up and put on a pair of jeans. I was the first one up for once and thought it would be good for me to make breakfast. I looked around the cabinet and found some pancake mix. I found some green food coloring and thought that I should make an old favorite of mine.

After about twenty minutes of baking and mixing, I poured the batter on the skillet. I smiled at the sizzle sound the batter made when it hit the pan. I opened the frig and poured a glass of chocolate milk. Darry came in wearing a white muscle shirt and boxers.

"Morning Darry." I smile at him.

"Morning. Ponyboy up yet?" he asks getting his coffee mix out.

"Nope." Darry starts to make his coffee. I make about ten pancakes and put them on a plate.

"Good Moro Curtis's!" I turn to see Two-Bit come in.

"Hey Two-Bit." I say. I hand Darry a plate with three pancakes on it. He nods and sits at the table pulling out a weed.

"You know I've been thinking." Two-Bit starts.

"Did it hurt?" Darry says without looking up from his paper.

"Not much, anyway, I was thinking that since Ponyboy didn't really get a birthday party, we could throw him one."

I look up from my green pancakes. I think it over, it sounds like a good idea. Maybe it would be good for him to have a birthday party.

"Sure why not. What do you think Darry?" Darry takes a sip of his coffee and nods.

"Sounds good to me. Only no booze or stripers." He says. You would think he was joking, but at my sixteenth birthday, Two-Bit brought enough booze to open a liquor store, and got three chicks to do a table dance. I thought it was amazing, but when my dad found us hammered at Buck's I thought it was the worse idea Two-Bit has ever had.

"Fine, fine, I'll just get a game of Scrabble and maybe some soda crackers." Two-Bit says holding his hands up. Darry rolls his eyes at him and sips on his coffee. I smile and pour syrup over my pancakes. Ponyboy comes in wearing the jeans he was wearing he had on at the hospital. It had blood stains all over the knees and around his hips. He grunted his 'Good Morning' at us and poured a cup of coffee for himself.

"You like coffee now Ponyboy?" I ask him.

"Yeah, coffee and Jack Daniels kept you warm at night when you had to sleep outside." He said taking a sip.

"How often did you sleep outside, Pony?" Darry asks him.

"Once or twice a week. Maybe more if one of the guys brought a girl over. I didn't care so much, but Alex said she didn't want to hear her older brother screwing around next door." He said with a grin. Two-Bit was falling over out of his chair. Darry was shaking his head trying not to smile. I tried not to laugh, but failed.

"So did any of them ask you and your girl to have a foursome?" Two-Bit choked out. Ponyboy snickered.

"No, not a foursome, a threesome once or twice." He said with a smirk. Darry spit his coffee out and started choking; I stared wide eyed at my kid brother. He was still smirking at us.

"Ponyboy, please tell me you didn't." Darry says. Ponyboy starts to laugh.

"No! No, I never did. Alex didn't let me." He said. Everybody was quiet for a minute. Two-Bit finally broke the ice.

"Ponyboy, what would you say to a party?" Ponyboy shrugged.

"Sure, why not." He said.

"Good, tonight. 9:35 at Buck's. I'll go tell Steve." He said running out of the house. I looked at the clock.

"Shit! Darry I got to go. I'm taking the truck!" I said grabbing my DX shirt and shoes.

Darry's POV

I got done with my breakfast and sighed. Ponyboy had already lost his virginity and even been offered to have a threesome. I can't believe how much he's grown up without me and Soda. I wanted to give him the 'talk' but I was sure that his buddy Blade had already covered that. I looked down and decide. I went into the living room where Pony was watching TV.

"Hey kid." I say. He looks at me and gives me a half smile.

"Hello brother." He says. I sit down next to him.

"Look, Ponyboy, before you left me and Soda never really got to tell you about, well you know…." Ponyboy jumps up off the couch and holds his hands in front of himself.

"Wow there, Dare, I already know about sex and girls. I don't need the 'talk'." He says. I pat the couch seat next to me. He groans and sits down.

"I know that you know 'about' sex, but I just want you to know the consequences of it." I say. He sighs and rubs his head.

"I know that you've had sex and know what to do, but you also said that Alex might have been pregnant." He jumped up at that.

"Leave Alex out of this." He says aggressively pointing a finger at me. I put my hands up.

"All I'm saying is that she might have not been if you knew what you were doing." I say. He's still standing. He's shaking.

"Don't you think I know that Darry! I know that I shouldn't have slept with her, but… uh! I would give anything to take it back." He says sitting back down in a huff. He puts his head in his hands.

"You got any Aspirin?" I get up and get him three. He swallows them dry.

"I didn't mean it like that." I say quietly.

"I would have stayed with her, Darry, I would have been a good dad." He says. I rub his back.

"You really loved her, Ponyboy?" I ask him. He was only sixteen, too young for love. But then again he was smarter than most sixteen year olds.

"More than anything." He says.

"Do you know what you would have done if she was still here?" I ask him. I was dying to know.

"Completely drop out of school, get a job where Benny worked at. We would have needed to stay with Blade for awhile. I could have gotten a very small apartment in the same building, after a year or two. Alex might have had to work during the weekends, but no more than that. I would have made sure that the baby stayed in school and was healthy. Alex already thought of names." He said. I chuckle.

"You really thought this out haven't you?" he nods. "What names did she pick out?"

"If it was a girl, Carla Margret Curtis, if it was a boy, Johnny Darrell Curtis. Carla was Alex's mom's name. She knew about our family and said that she wanted the baby's name to mean something." I smiled with pride. He was going to name the baby after me. I pated his back.

"Thanks little buddy."

Two-Bit comes in with a six pack. "Here we go! Let's get ready for that party!"

**I promise you all that the next chapter will be amazing! It will be the best chapter, probably! **

**Please Review.**


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Pony's POV

I was in the living room watching TV when Darry came in and tried to give me the 'talk'. We got on the topic of what I would have done if Alex hadn't died. I told him I would drop out and get a job and an apartment. Alex had already had the names, I loved them. I could already see our little girl in a dress with Alex's wavy hair and my eyes. Our son looking just like me but having Alex's sprit.

Two-Bit was planning a party for my sixteenth birthday. I don't care if he did or didn't really. I wish I could forget about all this and just get on with life. I wanted to forget how if I made Alex go to the pawn shop with me, she wouldn't have been shot. If I hadn't ran into the church Johnny wouldn't have been burnt. If Johnny hadn't have died, Dally wouldn't have been shot. I didn't want to celebrate my life, I wanted it to end.

At about nine o'clock Two-Bit and Soda came back to the house to get me and Darry for the party. I grabbed my jacket that Blade gave me and followed them out the door. We drove to Buck's in silence. Two-Bit kept smiling and bouncing up and down while Darry was driving. When we got to Buck's Soda and Two-Bit jumped out of the car whooping and hollering. They ran into Buck's while me and Darry walked. I hitched my thumbs in my pockets and reluctantly went into the bar. When I got in there I saw the Shepard brothers, Steve, Two-Bit, my brothers, my buddy Mark from school, and a few of the Shepard boys. I gave everyone a nod and went over to Soda.

"What's up with all the people?" I asked him quietly.

"Come on Ponyboy, tonight you are going to have fun. Me and Darry don't care if you get hammered tonight, just enjoy yourself." He said leading me to the bar.

"Two beers please." He tells Buck. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"I thought you didn't drink?" He grabs the two beers and hands one to me.

"Only on special occasions." He says winking at me and heading over to the group of girls in the nearby corner. I look and see a girl with red hair and a yellow blouse on.

"Cherry?" she turns to me and smiles. She was still gorgeous, but the small crush I had on her was long over.

"Ponyboy! Happy Birthday!" she says coming over to hug me.

"Thanks, what are you doing here?" I ask her barely hugging her back.

"Well, I was home for the weekend and heard that you were back. So I got in touch with Soda and heard about the party and decided to come. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. You in college?"

"Nursing school." She says. I nod and give her a half smile.

"How's Randy and Marcia?" I ask her.

"Good, Randy is in college and Marcia is married." She said. A song started to play.

"Oh I love this song! Would you like to dance?" she asks me. Steve was standing about six feet away from me talking to some blond chick.

"Steve, dance with Cherry!" I say flinging him to her. He scowls at me at first then sees Cherry. He didn't mind it so much then. Soda was dancing with a blond chick and Darry was talking to some cute brunet. Two-Bit was flirting with a blond broad. Curly was drinking at the bar with Tim. Mark came over to me.

"Hey man!" he says giving me a half handshake half hug.

"I thought you were in the cooler?" I said. He got busted for drugs a few months after Johnny and Dallas died.

"Got out earlier. Told them where I found the drugs. Got out a few months ago. So how was New York?"

"Interesting. Have you talked to your buddy Bryan?" He sighs and looks down.

"Um… No I don't talk to Bryan anymore."

"Sorry to hear about that." Then, of all people, Angela Shepard comes by.

"Hey Ponyboy!" she says hanging on my arm.

"Hi, Angela. How ya been?"

"Good. You wanna dance?"

"No, not right now. Why don't you go dance with Mark?" She lit up at that.

"Come on Mark." She says dragging him to the dance floor.

Mark gives me a death look. I chuckle.

I go over to the bar wanting something a little stronger than beer.

"Give me a shot of Jack Daniels." I tell Buck. HE gives me a skeptic look.

"Ain't you a little young to be drink Jack?" he says.

"Ain't you a little young to get your ass kicked by a sixteen year old?" I say. He rolls his eyes and gives me a bottle.

"Here, now go bug somebody else." I take the bottle and open the top of it. I go up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms. I sit down on one of the beds and start chugging down the whiskey. I didn't care about alcohol poisoning at that point. I just wanted a release. Something to get my mind off things, and the party wasn't helping. I lay on the bed, already half drunk from half the bottle. I pull out a cigarette and light it up. I stayed in the room smoking and drinking, having my own party. I drink the whole bottle and start to drunken cry. I keep sobbing and hate myself even more. I look around and see a navy blue sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off. I stumble over to it and pick it up. I realize that I'm in the room where Dally told me and Johnny to get to Windrixville. I sighed and layed down on the bed again. I took a deep breath and looked in the dresser drawer. There was a box of condoms and a gun. I picked up the gun and saw that it was loaded. I threw it to the ground seeing it was no good. I sigh and put my head in my hands.

_**Bang! Bang!**_

I hear gun shots, grab the unloaded gun, and run out of the room and see Tyler Simmons holding a gun up in the air. I walk down the stairs. The stairwell was covered by two walls so nobody could see me coming down.

"**Where the hell is he!" ** Tyler shouts.

"Go to hell!" I hear Darry shout. I peak over the wall and see Tyler pointing a gun at my brother. Soda sees me and gives me _'Don't you dare move.' _Look. I nodded.

Tyler points the gun at Soda.

"Why are you here?" Soda says. Soda and Darry weren't scared. They were tuff, so was Steve, Two-Bit, the Shepards, Mark, and even Cherry.

"Came to settle some unfinished business. Heard that Curtis didn't kill himself and that he went back to Tulsa. My rep was at stake so I came back here to clear it. Nobody points a gun at me and gets away with it."

"And nobody points a gun at my family and gets away with it." I say stepping out from the wall. I hold the useless gun in my hand. Tyler turns to me and points his gun at me.

"You son of a bitch. You think you can point a gun at Tyler Simmons and just get away with it. You think that I would let it go?" he says. I point my unloaded gun at him, hoping that he would take my bluff.

"Put the gun down Tyler. You're not going to shoot me. You owe me that much. I didn't kill you at the rumble or at the bar. You're not going to shoot me." I say calmly. He smiles at me and points the gun at Soda.

"Yeah, but I don't owe your brother anything." He says. He chooks the gun and pulls back the hammer. I jump in front of Soda knowing that I couldn't lose anybody else.

_**Bang.**_

Soda's POV

_**Bang.**_

A cop broke down the bar door that Tyler had blocked. The cop shot Tyler through the chest, right through the heart. Ponyboy was shot in the chest right above his bellybutton. He landed right in front of me. He was shaking holding his stomach, his eyes wide. Darry striped off his shirt and pressed against the bullet hole. I held Ponyboy in my lap while Two-Bit and Steve ran to the cops getting them to call an ambulance.

"Ponyboy! Please, honey, don't do this. Hang on for me! Please!" I beg him through my tears. Ponyboy was choking on his own blood.

"Soda?" he muttered weakly. I held his hand tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Yeah, Ponyboy?" I ask him trying to be calm.

"I love you, tell Darry I love him too." He says. Darry puts one of his hands on Ponyboy's forehead.

"I'm right here, Ponyboy. I love you too." Darry cries.

From a distance I could hear the wail of the siren, as Ponyboy closes his eyes.

**Please Review.**


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Pony's POV

"Soda?" I sputtered. The blood was coming from my lips. I could barely breath.

"Yeah, Ponyboy?" Soda was the only thing I could see. Everything else was dark. All I could sense was Soda and the pain.

"I love you, tell Darry I love him too." I say. I thought I was going to die. I knew that the blood was already seeping through my shirt and jacket .I felt cold, like ice. I felt a gentle hand on my head, ruffed up from roofing houses.

"I'm right here, Ponyboy, I love you too." I hear my oldest brother cry. I wanted to grab his hand to let him know that I knew that he was here now, but I didn't have the strength. I heard both my brothers pleading with me to stay with them, but I couldn't.

_I felt like I was flying. A sensation crept throughout my body, I felt lighter. I felt dead. I opened my eyes, I was in the white room again. I was wearing silk white pants and a silk white shirt. I stood up and saw a blond women with blue eyes with a man about 6'2 with brown hair that kicked out in the front with a cowlick in the back. His eyes were lively, dancing, brown eyes._

"_Mom? Dad?" They smiled. I ran into their open arms. They hugged me as I held onto them. _

"_Mama, Dad, how, what… am I…" _

"_Not yet." I looked pass my father's shoulder to see Johnny and Dallas standing there in the same getup that I was in. _

"_What do you mean 'not yet'?" I asked them. _

"_You still have time." Dally said. Johnny nodded. I looked at my parents. _

"_How much time?" I ask them. _

"_In earth time, minutes, in our time hours." I turn to see Alex and two children, about the age of three or four, on either side of her. One was a beautiful little girl with dark curly hair and gray green eyes and dark skin. The other one had brown curls and blue gray eyes with dark skin. _

"_Go say hi to daddy." Alex says to our children. They run to me both screaming 'Daddy!' I bend down to their level and catch them in my arms, holding my babies. I kiss both of their heads and hold them tight. _

"_Hi Daddy." My daughter says._

"_Hello, Carla. I love you, sweetheart." I tell her trying my damned hardest not to cry. _

"_I love you too, Daddy." I kiss my sons head._

"_I missed you Daddy." Says Johnny._

"_I missed you too, buddy. I love you." I tell him. I looked at Alex she was smiling at me. _

_I pick up our children putting one on each hip, going to Alex. I kiss her, my tears falling on her cheeks. She puts her hands on my face holding me there, kissing me sweetly. I laugh. I look at everyone that I have lost, my parents holding each other close, Johnny smiling at me, Dally smirking at me, my children hugging me with all their strength, and the love of my life, holding me close. _

"_I could stay here?" I ask Alex. She nods and looks at Johnny and Dallas._

"_Will you take the kids for awhile? I need to talk to Ponyboy alone." She says. They nod and pick up the kids. They wave at me. My parents follow them, fading into the background. Alex turns back to me. She takes my hand._

"_I could stay here with you?" I ask again. She nods. _

"_You could, but…." _

"_But what?" she looks at me again. _

"_I want you to understand, when you make this choice, it's final. You still have time, you still have life in you." She says putting my hands under hers, placing them over my heart. I could fell a thumping, very weak, but still there. Then she put our hands over her heart. There was nothing, stillness. She looked at me. _

"_I didn't have the choice, you do. I want you to choose life." She says. I shut my eyes, not wanting to hear this. I want to stay here with her and our children. With my parents and friends, all of us together again. Alex puts her arms around me, pressing me to her chest. I hold onto her._

"_What would it have been like? If you hadn't had been shot? If we had gone to the pawn shop?" I ask her. She smiles at me and puts her hands on the sides of my head. She presses our foreheads together. _

**Me and Alex were sitting in the living room. We had just gotten back from the shop and were bored. Alex sat in my lap while I played with her hair. She held my free hand. **

"**Alex?" I ask her.**

"**Yes?" she says.**

"**I want you to be honest with me. Are you pregnant?" I ask her. She shutters and buries herself in my chest. I fell her nod through the shirt. I run my finger through her hair.**

****

"**Come on, Alex, push!" I tell her. Alex had been in labor for the past nine hours. Her water broke at the house. I was at work when Blade called me. He took her to the emergency room. I got there right as she started having contractions. **

**Alex screams again as she clutches my hand. Then I hear the most beautiful thing. Our baby's cry.**

"**It's a boy." The doctor says. I kiss Alex on the forehead. She sighs holding out her arms. The nurse hands Alex our baby. She starts to cry.**

"**Hi, sweetheart." She says. Alex holds our baby for a few minutes before she hands Johnny Darrell to me. I kiss his forehead as he falls to sleep.**

"**He's beautiful." I choke out. Alex laughs. The nurses and the doctors leave us for awhile. **

"**He has your face." Alex says. **

"**Yeah, but your curly hair." I say. Tuffs of brown swirly hair cover my son's head. **

"**I can't believe… Ah!" Alex holds her stomach. I see the look in her eyes. **

"**What is it?" I ask. **

"**Go get the doctor." She says. I put the baby in the plastic crib they gave us and rush into the hallway. **

"**I need some help in here!" I shout. The doctor and two other nurses come back into the room. The doctor looks at Alex again and chuckles. **

"**Well Mrs. Curtis, looks like you have a stowaway." He jokes. I stare wide eyed at him.**

"**What?" Alex gasps out.**

"**It appears you've been pregnant with twins. You are dilated 4 centimeters. It might be awhile before you can start pushing again. I'll be right back." The doctor and the nurses leave. I go over to the table and pour a glass of water. I go over to Alex and hold it up to her lips. She slurps it down.**

"**I hate you so much right now." She says. I smile. **

"**Well, I love you." I say kissing he again.**

"**After this, you're getting snipped." She says. **

"**Uh, no! I am not!" I say. She smiles at me, letting me know that she was joking. **

"**Twins, wow. How are we going to do that?" she asks me. **

"**I'll figure it out, love. Don't worry about it, just focus on the babies." I say.**

"**Give me Johnny." She says. I go over to the crib and pick up my sleeping son. I gently place him in Alex's outstretched arms. **

"**I can't believe it." She says. **

"**Me either." I say kissing her forehead. I brush my fingertips over my son's face.**

****

**I get home from work. When I got to the apartment Alex was nursing Carla, Johnny asleep in Blade's arms. I smiled. **

"**Hey." I say putting my jacket on the couch. **

"**Hi, sweetie." Alex says. **

"**What's up man?" Blade says. Blade really liked being an uncle. He had a knack for it. **

"**Good news. Mr. Ballard gave me a fifty cent pay raise. I'll be making $4.25 dollars an hour."**

"**That's great, Ponyboy." Alex says putting Carla back in the crib. Blade follows suit and puts Johnny next to her. Isaac comes in the door with Wyatt.**

"**Are they asleep?" Isaac says sadly. **

"**Yes, and don't bother them. I just got them to sleep!" Alex says pointing a finger at him. Isaac was basically like a second parent to the twins. He and Blade were kinda the unspoken Godfathers. Everyone in the gang loved the babies, even Richie who was horrible with kids. **

"**I won't! I just wanted to see them! Isn't that right Wyatt?" he says looking at the twelve year old. Wyatt rolls his eyes. I go into the kitchen and grab a Pepsi. Ever since the twins were born, I cut back on the drinking. I saw what it did to families. Alex yawns. **

"**Go take a nap, honey. I'll be there in a minute." I tell my wife. I bought a ring a few months before the babies were born, we eloped at the court house. **

****

"**Daddy! Daddy, look! Look what I drewed!" Carla jumps up and down as I enter the new apartment. I laugh and scoop her up in my arms. I blow into her stomach, causing her to go into a fit of laughter. **

**Alex peaks out through the kitchen with Johnny at her side. **

"**Hi honey." She says kissing me. **

"**Hey love. How were they?" I ask her putting my jacket on the couch. **

"**Good. Carla spent the whole day coloring and Johnny told me stories for a few hours." She says smiling. Alex loved being a mother, and I loved being a dad. The twins were four now. Johnny was imaginative and loved to talk. Carla was quiet and was artsy. We moved out of Blades apartment last year and got this one a few buildings down. It was bigger and was in a better building. I got a better job as a construction worker. Alex worked as a waitress on weekends. **

****

"**Carla Curtis." The principal says. Me and Alex stand up clapping for our daughter. Carla smiles at us waving, being careful not to trip over her gown as she walks off the stage. **

"**Johnny Curtis." Johnny runs up on the stage holding the diploma up in the air. He earns a few laughs from his football buddies for kissing the twenty year old vice principal on the cheek as he walked by to join his sister. **

"**I'm so proud of you both!" Alex gushes. She holds both of them close. **

"**Thanks Mama." Johnny says.**

"**Yeah, thanks mom." Carla says. I go over to them next.**

"**I love you two." I tell them. **

"**Love you to Daddy." Carla says. **

"**Love ya old man." Johnny says. I flick his ear.**

****

"_Wow." I say. _

"_You have to choose." Alex says. _

"_I don't know."I admit. _

"_Yes you do." She says._

"_I love you." I tell her._

"_I love you too." She says as she kisses me. I feel a painful spark in my chest. _

"_OW!" I say. Alex smiles. _

"_Bye Pony." _

_I start falling again. _

"I got a pulse." I hear someone say. Someone presses their fingers against my neck. I open my eyes.

"Alex?" I mutter.

"Just relax son. You'll be okay." The same voice says. A mask goes over my face as I fall again.

**Please Review.**


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Darry's POV

Ponyboy's eyes closed. Soda sobbed harder than he already was. I stopped the tears from my eyes and put my head on Pony's bleeding chest. I felt no heart beat. I started mini-hyperventilating, and put my hands over his heart. I pushed down as hard as I could, beating his heart for him until the paramedics got here. Soda held his head. I looked at him, still pumping Ponyboy's heart, terrified. I saw the tears in his eyes; he broke down again, putting his forehead against Pony's. I ignored him and kept pushing on Pony's chest. I put my fingers over his nose and mouth. He wasn't breathing. I saw that his mouth was filled, it was blood. I opened his mouth and pushed his head gently to the side trying to get the blood out. It wasn't working fast enough. I tilted his head up, putting my fingers in his mouth, pushing back on his throat. His natural relaxes kicked in and he threw up the blood. I blew into his mouth then went back to pumping his heart.

"Move out of the way!" I spun my head around and saw three EMT's racing to us. I got t of the way, letting them do their job, but still close to my brothers. Soda stayed at Pony's head, not letting go. They put a mask over his face, put IV's in his arms, blood transfusions, and began CPR like I did.

"I can't fell a pulse." Said the blond EMT giving him the CPR.

"Keep trying." Said the older one, putting presser over the bullet wound. I mentally cursed myself for not doing that myself. A bald EMT rushed in with a gurney. The blond guy blew into my baby brothers mouth cursing.

"Come on kid, you gotta breathe for me." He said. I felt the tears fall down my face. It's been too long, he's gone…..

I saw them raise him on to the gurney, the older one turned to us.

"Do you want to come with us?" he asked. I nodded and grabbed Soda. I ran into the ambulance as they shut the doors. They sure were fast. They put oxygen tubes, along with the mask, over his nose. The blond kept doing the CPR, telling Ponyboy to breath. The bald one handed the older one a set of paddles. He turned to us.

"Stay back." He warned. He yelled 'clear', the blond put up his hands, and baldy scooted back. HE shocked Ponyboy's chest. He felt his neck and smiled. He took off the mask and tiled back his head, making him gag and chough up blood.

"I got a pulse." Says the blond. I smile and sigh, putting my head back, he's alive.

"Alex?" I look down and see Ponyboy weakly stirring.

"Just relax son. You'll be alright." He says as the bald one puts something in the IV, making Pony sleep again. I look at Soda and see he's hyperventilating. I put his head in-between his legs to help him. It wasn't working. The bald guy looked at us and nodded. He filled a syringe with some kind of liquid and came over to us. I held out Soda's arm for him, Soda still in shock from hearing the flat line. He pushed the needle through his skin and pushed the plunger. In a few seconds Soda began to quite down, his breathing went back to normal and he got some color back. I put his head in my lap, rubbing his head.

"It's alright Soda, he's alright." I tell him. I feel him shake his head in my lap.

"No, I heard the flat line. The guy said he couldn't feel a pulse. He's gone." He choked out. I rub his head more.

"No, he's fine. They got it back. He'll be okay." I tell him as he falls asleep from the medication. I sigh and grab Ponyboy's hand. I rub his palm with my thumb, hoping that he would know that his brothers were there with him. I thought about how much pain he could be in, or he could be completely numb. I wondered about what he was thinking about or maybe he was completely blank. His heart stopped for more than five minutes. I prayed that it wouldn't affect him mentally. I hoped that he was blank, so he couldn't feel his injuries. He didn't deserve any of what had happened to him. Ponyboy was golden, he had a future. No, he has a future, he isn't dead!

"Hospital coming up." I hear the driver say. The older one looks at me.

"How old is this boy?" he asks me. He had a grandfather type voice.

"Sixteen, he just turned sixteen. We were having his birthday party when…." I shouldn't tell him, I thought. If he tells the cops about all this, Ponyboy would go to jail for who knows how long. I couldn't let that happen.

"When what, son?" he presses.

"When some guy came in and started going crazy. He was going to kill Soda, when Ponyboy jumped in front of him." I lied. It wasn't a total lie, he did jump in front of Soda, and Tyler had gone crazy.

"Damn, he sure has some guts. Not many sixteen year olds would jump in front a bullet, even for his brother. Where are your parents, son?" he asks. I hate when people ask that question, it's always the same answer.

"They were killed in an auto wreak about two years ago." I say. He nods and then sighs.

"Sorry to hear that. Here comes the hospital." He says. I turn to look out the back window and see the bright neon sign of the emergency room. As soon as we get to the entry, the paramedics all jump out and roll Ponyboy out the ambulance and into the building. The blond one was left behind. He looks at me then Soda.

"I'll get a stretcher for him." He says. I nod knowing that the sedative would keep Soda asleep for a few hours. He comes back with a stretcher and helps me get Soda on it. He wheels Soda into the hospital and looks at me.

"I'll take him to a room. Your brother is in exam room one down the hallway. They'll let you in." he says. I nod and start to run down the hall. I look at the signs and scanning each one, finally see the one with "EXAM ROOM 1" on it.

I go into the room and see my brother being swarmed with doctors and nurses, all poking and prodding at him. Ponyboy is lying on a metal table, shirt ripped opened. The bullet wound is bleeding freely, his face pale. He was so pale. I went over to him.

"Hey you can't be in here!" a doctor says. The older EMT was in there.

"Easy, doc, he's his brother." The doctor nods and lets me through.

"Why isn't he in surgery?" I ask icily taking my brother's hand.

"All the rooms are taken. He'll get the next one in five minutes." The nurse says.

"He can't wait five more minutes! He needs to get treated now!" I shout. I feel a pressure on my hand.

"Darry?" I look down and see Ponyboy stirring. I push the hair out of his eyes. He opens his green-gray eyes looking confused and in pain.

"Where am I?" he asks weakly.

"At the hospital, Little Colt, just rest. Don't worry about nothing." I tell him rubbing his forehead. I ignores me trying to raise his head to look at his stomach. I pushed him gently back down. He was out of breath.

"Darry, I'll be alright." He says. I shake my head and fell tears running down my cheeks. He's trying to reassure me.

"I know, honey, it's just, I'm scared." I admit. What else could I say? That's I felt, fear. Fear that my brother could die, fear of my other brother not going to get through it if he does die, and just plan fear. I was fearful of just about everything right now.

"Don't be,….. Alex said that I'll be fine." He says as he closes his eyes. I choke back a sob. He's so out of it, he's talking to his dead girlfriend. I try to stay strong for him. I smile, even though he can't see it.

"She did? Good then, I'm so happy. But what really make me feel better is if you keep talking to me. So keep talking to me, Pone. The docs are going to take you into surgery in a few minutes." I tell him, if he's talking, he's breathing.

"Alright, when is this pain going to stop?" he asks me.

"Soon, kiddo, real soon. What else did Alex say?" I ask him.

"She said I could have stayed…..that I could have been with her and Johnny and Dally, Mom and…..Dad, Carla and Johnny Darrell. But I wanted to stay…..with you and Sodapop. I love you guys." He says trying to open his eyes. I rub his hand with one hand, and stroke his hair with the other. The nurse comes up to us.

"We're ready to take him." She says as they wheel him out.

God, please don't take him.

**Please Review.**

**Also, read this story called The Kiss of Jack Daniels and Review it for me, friends. It's a one shot off of this story. Its M rated so only read it if you can. It's really good. **


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Two-Bit's POV

When I saw the kid go down, and that bastard drop dead on the floor, me and Steve ran out to go call an ambulance. The kid, Tyler I think his name was, had shot the phone when he came inside. He started firing at the doors and at the phone behind the counter. He had us all sit against the wall, demanding to know where Ponyboy was. Darry told him to go to hell a few times. Superman didn't care that the guy pointed the gun in his face, he just wanted Ponyboy safe. Soda was looking around for Ponyboy. I saw him go upstairs about forty five minutes before Tyler barged in. I thought that a rep meant something to us, but man, this idiot came all the way from New York just because Ponyboy pointed a gun in his face. I've heard of obsession, but that stunt that the kid had just pulled had cost him his life. So much for his rep.

Me and Steve ran into one of the cops, who looked annoyed that we even dared to shame his with our presence. Damn it, he should be graced by my presence.

"Get an ambulance here now!" I bark at the cop. He gives me a look and exploded. I shoved the cop against the side of the bar and held him there.

"Look man, a sixteen year old kid was just shot taking a bullet for his brother! Now go call the God damned ambulance!" I screamed in his face. I let go of his as he went to his cruiser, calling the ambulance.

"Let's get back inside." Steve says. I can hear sirens in the distance. The ambulance must have been coming before the cop called for it. We run back into Buck's and see everyone backing up from Ponyboy, as if bullets were contagious. Pony was clutching his stomach, as if he was trying to stop the bleeding. His head was in Soda's lap, Soda was bawling holding Ponyboy close. Darry held the kid's hand pushing back his hair. Ponyboy eyes closed. Darry took a sharp breath and put his head over Pony's heart. He started breathing funny, then he shakily put his hands together over his chest and started beating his heart for the kid. Soda was sobbing so hard, I wondered how he could even breathe.

My vision clouded and I fell into the nearest chair. Steve looked at me, and to my surprise, I saw tears streaming down his face. Steve hasn't cried since the night Dallas was gunned down and Johnny died. Steve only cried when he knew that this was it for someone he cared about. He thought that this was it for Ponyboy. I started to sob, thinking the same. Maybe this is what Ponyboy would want, I mean he would want to be with his folks and our buddies and his girl. He suffered more than any kid should. I knew that he needed out, but not like this.

The EMT's came in and took him in less than a minute. I looked back at Steve and grabbed his sleeve, leading him to Darry's truck. Thankfully his keys were in the ignition, so I didn't have to hotwire it. I drove us to the hospital in silence, out of respect for our now dead friend.

Soda's POV

I was lying on a flat, stiff bed. I felt a hand in mine, rough but comforting. I knew it was Darry. I tried to think why I was here, and then I remembered. Ponyboy was gone forever. I choked back a sob and opened my eyes. I saw Darry asleep holding my hand, draped over the mattress. I sat up and drew my legs to my chest. My baby brother was dead. He would never get that second chance that he deserved so much, get a chance to actually live life, be a kid even. And he did all for me. Ponyboy would never see a sunset again, paint another picture, watch anymore Parry Mason shows, listen to Elvis, or even breathe the sweet air again because he gave it up for me. I started to sob, knowing that his death was my fault. I should be the one dead, I didn't have any chance of a future, but he did.

My eyes were closed, so I didn't see Darry wake up. I felt his big strong hands on my shoulders, pulling me to him. I sobbed like a baby into his shirt not caring who saw me. Darry held me close, shhing me and rubbing the back of my head.

"I'm so sorry Darry." I choke out.

"For what, Pepsi?" he asks gently.

"It's my fault that Pony's dead." I whisper. He holds me tighter.

"Oh, no, Soda. Ponyboy's in surgery. He's alive. He's not dead, he's alive." He coos in my ear. I pull back from him.

"Wh-What? He's alright?" I look at my brother, confused and a little scared.

"He's not 'alright' but he's alive. He'll be out of surgery in a few minutes. You and him get to share a room." He says gently. I give him a look and then see that I've been stripped of my normal cloths and am now in a hospital gown.

"Why I am wearing this?" I ask Darry annoyed. He chuckled a little.

"You were hyperventilating in the ambulance, so you had to be given a sedative. Your heart rate is high enough for you to be here for observation. You gave me a good scare, little buddy." He says messing up my hair. I sigh and lay back down, feeling my heart. It was beating a little fast, but I felt fine. Then I heard wheels coming our way and sat back up. Three nurses were wheeling down Ponyboy into the room. He wasn't wearing a gown like I was, but a blanket covered him. His whole belly and chest was wrapped up. He was pale and had IVs in his arms and a blood transfusion going into his left arm, the medicine bags and IVs in his right. I waited until they left until I went over to him. I bent down to his level, and kissed his forehead.

"Thanks little brother. Wake up soon."

**Please Review. **

**Also, read that story I told ya'll about in the other chapter. It's more than worth checking out! **


	33. Chapter 32

**I don't own The Outsiders. **

Chapter 32

Ponyboy's POV

I felt so tired. I couldn't move an inch. My body just wouldn't work. I just lay there, not knowing where I was. The pain in my stomach was horrible; it was like a vice was around my midsection, pressure making hard to breath, difficult to control my muscles, impossible move. I was trying to relax, use my head. I knew that I was alive, in a hospital. I wanted my brothers there with me. I could feel anything except the pain. So I kept thinking of Alex, Johnny, Dallas, Mom, and Dad. Trying to get my mind off the pain. Alex must have been watching out for me, because I kept seeing bits and pieces of our life and the life that we could have had. Alex knew me well enough to know that I wanted to see more.

"_Ponyboy, hand me that Coke." Alex says from the couch. I nod and get it for her. I walk over to her and sit next to her on the couch. I hold her hand and put my hand on her swollen belly. I kiss her belly and rub her hair. She sighs. _

"_What is it, sweets?" I ask her. _

"_I'm fat, my feet are twice the size of what they use to be, I can't fit into any of my cloths, and I just had a major freak out that you're going to pass out in the delivery room when I start screaming." She says really fast. I chuckle and kiss her. _

"_Baby, you worry too much. You aren't fat, you have a cute little baby bump, I don't care about the size of your feet, you can wear some of my cloths, and I think I can handle the labor part of your pregnancy."  


* * *

__Alex was four months pregnant. She was getting pretty big, even for a pregnant girl. But don't tell her that. Blade warned me that all women in their family were crazy; it was the same in my family. Alex made this weird rule now that whatever she couldn't do, I can't do. Including drinking beer, staying up late, exercising, smoking, eat junk food, and now, since we were going to get married anyway, we can't have sex. I was miserable. I liked to run with Paulie in the morning when I had time, I liked junk food, it was killing me that I couldn't smoke, and as much as I was looking forward to having sex with Alex, we can't! I was trying to be understanding for her sake, but it was kinda hard when she was an emotional rollercoaster!_

_Me and Isaac were in the kitchen sitting on the counter, both in a dry spell. Isaac's girl, Lisa, has been in Manhattan for the past month, and hadn't told Isaac until yesterday. We were both in a slump, until Eyes got an idea. He went digging into the frig, and got out two six packs of beer. He raised an eyebrow at me. _

"_No way man. Alex'll kill me." I say. _

"_Come on, Ponyboy, Alex won't find out." He says going over to the couch. I shake my head. He slowly cracks open a bottle, and takes a long sip, just to torture me. _

"_Ahhhh. That's the stuff." He says. Be strong, for Alex, be strong… damn it, you're only a man! I went over to him and grabbed the beer from his hand, chugging it down. _

"_Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" I turn around to see Alex standing in the doorway, looking pissed.  


* * *

_

_Me, Soda, and Darry were in the living room, just sitting next to each other. Darry had his arm over my shoulders, and Soda was rubbing my arms, thinking I was leaving in the morning. I had silent tears running down my face, knowing it would be the last time I ever see them. I give a shaky breath, leaning closer to Darry. He strokes my hair and holds me to him._

"_Calm down, Pone, it'll be alright. Stop crying now, it'll be alright." He says gently. I swallow hard and close my eyes. I pull Soda closer to me and Darry, wanting him too. Soda leans onto my shoulder, rubbing my hair. I keep my eyes, tired. I guess they both thought that I fell asleep, because I felt tears falling on my head. _

"_Soda, come on, little buddy. Everything's going to be okay, we'll get custody back, don't you worry about it." Darry tells him. _

"_We should put him in bed." Soda says. I feel Darry nod. Darry carefully picks me up, as if not to wake me, and puts me gently into bed. Soda takes off my shirt for me, and crawls in next to me. Darry leans down next to me. _

"_Goodnight, Little Colt, I'll see you in the morning." He says as he kisses my temple.

* * *

_

_I was working at the job site when the accident happened. Tommy was working the crane, and I was loading the platform that was connected to the crane. The machine went haywire, it started on itself, causing me to lose my balance, and I ended up falling 15 feet to the ground. Thankfully it was grass, if it was concrete; I don't think I would have survived it. As soon as I landed, I felt a sickening pain in my upper back. Everything went blurry; the next thing I saw clearly was George and Samuel standing over me. The foreman came rushing over to me, taking my wrist. _

"_Curtis! Damn it, Curtis! Edwards go call an ambulance." Mr. Koehn yells at Samuel. He turns back to me. _

"_Can you hear me Curtis?" he asks. _

"_Yes sir, the crane is broken. It threw me off the frame." I say weakly. I felt real sick. _

"_You have to stay awake son, you might have a concussion." I tried to stay awake, but I got really dizzy and fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw Alex there holding my hand, looking over me. She began to brush my hair back. _

"_Hey, sweetie. How you felling?" she asks kissing me on the cheek._

"_Oh, I feel great. When can I get out of here?" I ask. I still hate hospitals. Alex chuckles. _

"_Not too soon. You screwed up your shoulders bad. They had to pop them back into place, and your wrist is sprained." She says,. I groan in frustration, I can never get a break. _

"_When can I go back to work?" I ask through my teeth._

"_Let's not talk…" _

"_When can I go back to work, Alex?" I say again. _

"_Not for a few weeks, you can't raise your arms above your head for a week, and then you just have to wait till your wrist heals." She says brushing back my hair._

"_How the hell are we going to pay for the bills?" I say to myself. _

"_We'll figure something out."

* * *

_

_It was Soda's twenty birthday today. I needed to call him. He deserved to know, about me and Alex and our children. Alex was out with the kids, and I was alone in the house. I picked up the phone, slowly, and began to dial. _

_405_

_Should I do this? _

_826_

_It's been so long._

_6820_

_What if he's not there? What if he got drafted and was killed? What if him and Darry moved? What if…._

"_Hello?" It was Two-Bit. I cleared my throat. _

"_Um… May I speak with Sodapop please?" I said, knowing he wouldn't recognize my voice since it hit puberty after I left._

"_Sure. Soda! Phone!" he shouts. I smile, same old Two-Bit. _

"_Hello?" I hear my brother's voice. I shake all over. _

"_Hey, Soda." I say._

"_Who's this?" he asks sounding annoyed. _

"_It's Ponyboy," I say, knowing this was a mistake. I hear Soda growl in the phone. _

"_Look buddy, this ain't funny. We've gotten enough calls like this. So fuck off!" he shouts into the phone._

"_It's really me Soda, I swear." I say._

"_Really prove it!" he says sarcastically. I smile. _

"_I know that you never wear shoes, and that you never sleep with socks on. And that you cried every night that week me and Johnny were in Windrixville, and that Sandy's baby wasn't yours. I also know that you think you're that bawl baby of the family, but I think that I'm it right now. I know that you were the world's biggest Mama's boy, and that you were that world's greatest big brother." I finish. _

"_Ponyboy where are you?" he chokes into the phone. I wipe away my tears. _

"_Can't tell you that one, buddy. I just wanted to tell you 'Happy Birthday'. I love you Soda, tell Darry I love him too." I say about ready to hang up. _

"_WAIT! Don't hang up! Just, I want to talk to you, I've missed you so much Ponyboy." He says into the phone. I could tell he was crying, and I was trying my hardest not to._

"_I've missed you to, Soda. How ya been?" I choke into the phone. _

"_Good, real good. How have you been, Pony?" he says. _

"_I'm doing great. You wouldn't believe it, I'm married and I have two beautiful children, twins. Carla Margret Curtis and Johnny Darrell. Johnny is so much like you, Soda." I say smiling. _

"_Soda, who's that on the phone?" Darry. _

"_You wanna talk to Darry?" Soda asks. I close my eyes tight. _

"_Yeah, sure. I want to talk to Darry." I say quietly. I hear Soda shouting and then someone else takes the phone._

"_Ponyboy, is it you?" Darry says into the phone. _

"_Yeah, Dare, it's me." I say, not caring if I'm crying anymore. _

"_Oh, God, Pony where are ya kiddo?" he chokes into the phone._

"_That doesn't matter Darry. How ya been?" _

"_What do you mean? It sure as hell matters…." _

"_Look, Darry, either we talk on this phone until it goes dead, or you keep asking me where I am and I hang up. What do you want to do?" I say. _

"_I want to talk. How ya been, Pone?" he asks longingly into the phone. _

"_I'm married, and have two kids. A girl and a boy." I say getting it out in the open._

"_You're married? With kids? Ponyboy, your barely seventeen, who the hell can you have kids?" he says in awe. _

"_I got my girlfriend pregnant last year, we stayed together. Our little girl is named Carla Margret and our son is named Johnny Darrell." _

"_Thanks, Little Colt. How you doing, financially?" he asks. I smile, same old Darry. _

"_Alright, I got a job at some hotel as a bell boy. It makes enough money for me to pay for the kid's cloths and food. We're living at my brother-in-law's place for now. How have you guys been?" _

"_A lot better now, I got a promotion and Soda got a raise. I got to quite my other job at the mill. I miss you so much Ponyboy, Soda does too." He says, I was about to tell him that I loved him to, but then Alex came into the house bawling._

"_Ponyboy, Carla's hurt!" _

"_I have to go, Darry, I love you guys. Make sure Soda knows that." I say hanging up the phone quickly, racing outside, seeing my baby girl at the end of the stair case, holding her forehead, trying to stop the bleeding.

* * *

_

"_Ponyboy, what are you doing up this late?" Mom asks me. I was reading in my bed, it was about midnight, I was suppose to be asleep by ten._

"_I can't sleep. I ate too much and my stomach hurts." I say. Mom smiles and sits by me and begins to smooth back my hair. _

"_Well I'll just stay here with you until you do fall asleep." She says I close my eyes and let her put me to sleep.

* * *

_

"_Stay Gold Ponyboy, stay gold." _

"_You get tough like me and nothing can touch you."_

"_What's the safest thing to be when one is met by a gang of social outcasts in an alley?" _

"_I just don't want to see you crash and burn"_

"_I think I'm going to marry Sandy." _

"_They didn't hurt you to bad, did they?" _

"_I love you, Ponyboy Michael Curtis." _

"Ponyboy, Pony can you open your eyes for me?" I struggle to open my eyes. I squint and see my brothers standing over me. I try to talk to them, but my voice is shot. Darry takes my hand.

"Don't try to talk, Little Colt. Just rest."

**Please Review. **


	34. Chapter 33

She said

"Walk on over here

To the billow shade

I will wrap you in my arms

And you'll know

That you've been saved"

Let me sigh

Let me sigh.

-Robert Pattinson.

Chapter 33

Darry's POV

After Soda woke up, the only thing we had to do was wait. Wait for Ponyboy to wake up, or for Ponyboy to pass on. The doctor came in after the nurses brought him in that Pony still might not make it. They got the bullet out and got him to stop bleeding, but he was still very weak. He almost died during surgery, the doc said. Soda wasn't taking it to well. He just stared at the wall, holding Ponyboy's hand. I sat next to them both, trying to keep everyone together. After about nine hours of waiting and friends coming in and out, something started to happen.

Machines started beeping and alarms went off. Ponyboy started making choking sounds and began to turn blue. Three nurses rushed in and pushed us out of the way.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask trying not to shout.

"His lung collapsed." Says the older nurse. They rip off his gown and take out a scalpel. They cut him over his lungs and put a tube in him. He started breathing right again. Soda went over to him and brushed his hair back.

"What happened?" I growl. One of the nurses looks at me.

"His lung collapsed. He's too weak to breathe on his own. We'll have to put him on respirator." She says to me. I nod, looking at my youngest brother. He looked so young and tired. I went over to him and took his hand.

"Listen, Pone, they have to put you on a breathing machine so you can get better. You just need to rest up so you can get better. Maybe later Two-Bit and Steve can come in later, if you feel up to it. You got to hang in there, kiddo, for us. We need you, we just got you back, and we'll be damned if we let you go again. I love you Lil'Colt." I say using Mom's old nickname for him. He hated when Mom would call him that in front of the gang. I just wanted him to wake up. I didn't want to lose him again, I was being selfish, but I don't care. I couldn't lose anymore of my family.

The nurse came in and made us leave while she put the tube in him. We waited in silence, just thinking. I heard arguing down the hall and saw Steve and Two-Bit fighting with the nurse. I gave a small smile and went over to them.

"Look, we just want to find his brothers. We want to be there for them, for God's sake their brother just…."

"Ponyboy's alive, Two-Bit." I say. Everyone turns to me.

"He's alright?" Steve says.

"Not, alright exactly. His lung just collapsed. They had to put him on a respirator. They don't know if he'll make it through the night." I say. I had to be strong, I needed to be strong, so everyone else could be weak and let me take care of everything. Two-Bit walked over to me, and put an arm around me, letting me surrender. I let out something between a cry and a sob. Two-Bit patted me on the back, letting me know that it was okay, and that everything would be alright.

"Come on man, let's go see Pone." Steve says going down the hallway. I follow them and go inside the room, where Ponyboy and Soda are at. Soda was holding Pony's hand, pushing back his hair. There was a huge tube looking thing going down his mouth, taped over his face. His gown was no longer there, just the wrappings over his abdomen and a pair of boxers that one of the nurses got him. Soda was smiling at him, even in the face of death Soda could still smile. I went over to them and took Pony's other hand. Soda leaned down to him.

"Hey, Ponyboy, Two-Bit and Steve are here. You have to wake up so you can see them. They really want to see you." Soda says. Two-Bit sits on the edge of the bed, and so does Steve.

We sit there for a few minutes, not wanting to break the silence. After a few minutes, Two-Bit speaks up.

"Remember a few years ago? When Johnny, Pony, Dallas, and me went to buy fireworks for the fourth? And I dropped my cigarette in the bag, and the whole thing blew up, right in the living room?" he laughs. I start to chuckle and remember the look Ponyboy had on his face, shock and amazement.

"Yeah, Darry nearly blew a gasket!" Soda laughs. Steve snorts in memory.

"Is that burn mark still on the ceiling?" Steve asks.

"Yep, I could never get it off." I laugh.

"'Member the time when Ponyboy was about seven and we all dared him to spend the night in the basement at Two-Bit's house?" Steve says. I bust up laughing.

"Yeah, poor kid didn't last four hours in there without freaking out. Me and Soda got our butts busted by our Dad that night."I say.

"What about the time when we all went to that baseball game? And Ponyboy got in that fight with Curly Sheppard? And the concession stand worker had to break it up?" Soda says. I laugh, thinking about how messed up those two kids made each other. Ponyboy was only ten then.

"We had to take him to Two-Bit's to clean him up so your folks wouldn't find out. Man that kid didn't even cry when he was fighting. I never thought about that before." Steve says. I nod. I feel something poking me in the hip. I turn to see Ponyboy stirring.

"Soda, look!" I say in amazement. Soda jumps up and looks at our brother. Steve and Two-Bit jump off the bed. Ponyboy moves his head back and forth.

"Ponyboy, Pony can you open your eyes for me?" Soda says. Ponyboy opens his eyes looking confused and tired.

"Don't try to talk Lil'Colt, just rest." I say. He closes his eyes, and this time I'm not dreading it.

**Please Review**


	35. Epilogue

Chapter 34

Ten years later.

Ponyboy's POV

As me and my wife drive along, I thought about my life as a teenager, and who I was. I was angry, mean, and hard. But I was also in love and had a beautiful girl to get me through it all. She was killed in a bar shooting at the very young age of sixteen. She had long dark hair that went down to her waist, and that glowed in the moonlight. Her eyes were deep blue gray, that were able to calm me even in the most dangerous rages. Her laugh made me still get goose bumps ten years later. Her brother was the oldest and the leader of our gang. He made us stick together and could get us through anything. Her brother's name was Blade. She had a best friend who could make us laugh and was her surrogate brother. Her best friend name was Isaac. Her name was Alex.

"Pony? Are you alright?" Connie asks me. I take her hand and hold it to my chest.

"Everything is fine, sweetheart." I promise her. She kisses me on the cheek and looks at the old church that we have pulled into.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" she asks worriedly.

"Na, I'll be alright. Why don't you go back to the hotel? I'll get a cab back." I say. She nods.

"Alright, dear. I'll be waiting for you." Connie tells me kissing me. I smile and hold her against me.

"And when I get back…. I was thinking we could call room service for a bottle of red wine, get incredibly drunk and see what happens." I say. She giggles and hits me playfully on the head.

"See you at the hotel." She says getting back in the car. I wave goodbye and turn back to the church. Alex had me come here a few times for Easter and Christmas. She loved to go to church, but normally we didn't have time for it. I hitched my thumbs in my pockets and went into the old church.

I entered the abandoned church with hesitation, not wanting to do this. I take a deep breath and walk down the aisle. I feel the wood pews and rub my fingers of the dust. I smiled and sat in the back pew that we sat in whenever we came. I picked up the abandoned bible and brushed the cobweb off it. I opened it and saw the notes that me and Alex wrote to each other during the service.

_What do you want to do for lunch?_

_I don't care, now pay attention. _

_When is this over? _

_In a few minutes. Quit complaining! _

_I love you, Alex. _

_I love you to, Ponyboy. _

I never thought about losing her back then. I only thought about the next rumble, or how to get back at the Assassins. I never thought about losing another loved one, or having to worry about getting Alex pregnant.

I got up and walked up to the altar. I got down on my knees and bowed my head. I remembered that prayer my mother taught me.

**The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want**

**He maketh me lie down in green pasture,**

**He leadeth me beside still waters, he restoreth my soul. **

**He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake**

**Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, **

**I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me. **

**Thy rod, Thy staff, they comfort me. **

**Thou preparest a table before me, in the presence of my enemies.**

**Thou aniontest my head with oil, my cup runneth over**

**Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,**

**And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever. **

Me and Darry were the only ones who still remember it. Soda could never learn it, but when I got shot I recall waking up to Soda chanting the 23 Psalms prayer while I was still in critical condition. I layed still till he finished reciting it. I smiled at him, and he knew that I heard him. Soda never gives himself enough credit when it comes to him being smart.

I crossed myself and sighed. Me and Alex both grew up with a Catholic background and tried to use it. I was a bad Catholic, Alex was better. She said her prayers every night and made sure that she made confession once a week. I never made confession and never remembered my prays. Alex didn't mind though, she said she prayed enough for me.

I got up and went to the side door. I slowly opened it and saw the headstones scattered across the land. I looked over the cemetery and breathed in the air. It was warm from the May morning air. I headed to the back of the cemetery, right in the middle. I could never forget where she was buried.

The white marble was starting to turn gray, and the letters engraved in the stone had dirt in them. Roses were her favorite flower, so naturally her brother Blanco, who hadn't been called 'Blade' in years, had put them there for her. I smiled and knelt down next to the headstone. I brushed the dirt away from the stone and pulled out the weeds that surrounded her grave. I pulled out the rose from my coat and placed it over her grave. I kissed my fingers and placed them over her name.

"Hey, baby. I know I should have visited sooner. I haven't come here in ten years. I've missed you a lot. I have been in Tulsa all this time. Just like you wanted. Me and my brothers have been doing real good. Darry had me go back to school, after I got out of the hospital. But I never really could get back into it, ya know? Darry tried not to get mad at me, but he couldn't help but you know. Me and him kept fighting, about everything. Soda was more understanding, he got it. I got real sad after the bar shooting. After I got released from the hospital, all I could think about was you and what should have been. I kept blaming myself and getting in trouble in class. I started up drinking again, Darry couldn't stand it and he threw me out. I stayed with Two-Bit and dropped out. I got a job at the movie theater. I started writing again and ended up writing about Johnny and Dallas and then about New York and you. They turned out really good, I got enough money to settle me and my family for life. Me and Darry made up after he saw that I made something of myself. Then I met Connie, she's amazing Alex. We got married a few months ago and she's going to collage now. I miss you, I know I'll never find someone else like you, but I'm getting by alright. I love you Alexandra Maria Montonille."

I get up and pat the top of her headstone. I breathe in the fresh air of the land. I smile at her and turn towards the church. I put my hands in my pockets and head off to my new life.

**This is the end for this one. I want to thank all of you for your support and reviews. I love all of you and can't wait for my next writing experience. Watch for my next stories! Again thank you for everything. **

**Love JCLS**


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